Birds of a Feather
by breakthrough
Summary: No. 04 Karasuba was someone who greatly respected the strong. After all, it was her life's goal to see all of them lie dead at her feet. So how exactly was it that she came to wing Sahashi Minato, of all people, at all?
1. The First Winging

Chapter 1 – The First Winging

* * *

Sekirei No. 04 Karasuba made it no secret that her biggest pleasure in life was to see strong opponents lie broken and dead at her feet.

It was the very reason why she had been willing to go along with MBI's plans for the past decade and a half since her awakening. She had been promised powerful adversaries to fight against if she joined their so-called Disciplinary Squad, so she leapt at the opportunity to slake her bloodlust. Though she was less than pleased to learn that she was to work alongside the likes of No. 01 Miya in the First Generation and later No. 08 Yume in the Second Generation rather than against them, MBI had given her no shortage of opportunities to test her might. There might not have been many quality opponents, but the sheer quantity of pathetic lives she crushed under her heel had a quality all its own. She didn't even mind being called MBI's Dog, few ever had the nerve to say it to her face and fewer still lived to see the next day.

When Minaka Hiroto approached her to join the Third Generation of the Disciplinary Squad that would preside over his mysterious Sekirei Plan, she agreed on one condition – that whoever joined would have to be at least as strong as her standards. She would tolerate no weakling subordinates. Minaka had agreed and, a week later, summoned her to the rooftop of the giant Teito Tower in the heart of Tokyo to introduce her to her potential squad mates, two Sekirei winged by an Ichinomiya Natsuo.

"P-pleased to m-meet you, I'm No. 105 Benitsubasa..." the shorter pink-haired half of the duo stuttered nervously. The normally boisterous Sekirei had heard of Karasuba's infamous reputation and had no intention of offending the woman who allegedly killed at the slightest provocation.

"... No. 104 Haihane." The taller silver-haired bandaged Sekirei appeared as unflappable as ever, but was sweating bullets internally. She too wanted no reason to provoke the Black Sekirei.

"Minaka, is this some kind of joke?" The Black Sekirei turned to the man in question, voice gravelly with barely disguised disappointment. She stomped towards him like a huntress on the prowl. "You promised me strong subordinates, not some little chicks fresh from their adjuster's nests. They're triple digits, not even worth my time."

"Please, Karasuba-chan. Why don't you give them a chance?" Minaka said, his usual enigmatic smirk firmly in place. "These two were hand-selected to be my enforcers for the Sekirei Plan, and young Natsuo-kun here is an equally powerful Ashikabi. I wouldn't have picked just anyone to join the illustrious ranks of the Disciplinary Squad after all."

Karasuba fumed, mulling over Minaka's request in her mind. Finally, she leveled a seemingly disinterested stare at him as she spoke. "One chance. That's it. If I'm not impressed, the deal's off."

Minaka threw his head back and cackled with mirth. "As cheeky as ever, eh Karasuba? Very well. I do ask that you avoid inflicting any debilitating injuries or death. I will need these two in one piece and I don't want to have to deal with anyone going out of commission before the game even starts!"

Karasuba nodded once in agreement, and turned her gaze on No. 104 and 105. "You heard me. You get one chance to change my mind about you. This world is only for the strong, the weak have no place in it and they certainly have no place at my side."

"In that case... Natsuo-sama! We'll have to go all-out for this one! N-norito!" Benitsubasa blushed despite the gravity of the situation. Kissing one's Ashikabi was no light matter for her, not least of all because of the feelings she harbored for him.

"...M-me too." Haihane chimed in, a light blush on her face as well.

Natsuo only smirked before shaking his head in resignation. "If that's what you want, I suppose I have no choice but to agree don't I? Benitsubasa, Haihane, come here." Beckoning to his Sekirei, he pulled them close before kissing them briefly on the lips. Wings of light bloomed from each, bright red for Benitsubasa and a smoky grey for Haihane respectively.

"Fists of my pledge, crush the calamity that befalls my Ashikabi!"

"By the claws of my pledge, rend the enemies of my Ashikabi!"

Turning to look at each other to coordinate their attack, the pair nodded once before blurring into motion with the war cry of their most powerful attacks on their lips.

"Extreme Quake!"

"Execution Claws!"

An explosion of dust and sound sent shockwaves throughout the rooftop, a plume of shattered concrete flying into the air where Karasuba stood. The two triple digits landed in a light crouch a few dozen meters away, trying to spot the Black Sekirei.

"Did we get her?" Haihane asked nervously, her eyes darting back and forth in the cloud of dust trying to locate No. 04.

"Of course we did, I felt my fists connect square on her! I think we might have gone overboard, there's no way she could shrug off both of our strongest attacks." Benitsubasa smirked cockily before her blood ran cold.

The sound of a blade slowly unsheathing echoed unnaturally loudly on the empty rooftop, sending shivers down the spines of the four spectators. The smoke and dust cleared, revealing an unscathed Karasuba standing casually with her nodachi held casually in one hand. A frown on her face betrayed the displeasure she felt from their so called best attacks.

"Was that it?" Her disappointment practically dripped from her voice as she cocked her head to the side with a shrug. "My turn."

Karasuba disappeared in a blur of motion, leaving Benitsubasa and Haihane whipping their heads about trying to spot her. A sudden gleam of light as the moon reflected off her blade was all the warning they got before Karasuba materialized seemingly out of nowhere in front of them. Her impassive face had been completely consumed by the bloodthirsty grin transforming her face into a great and terrible beauty. Without a word, Karasuba cut down the two Disciplinary Squad Sekirei in a spray of blood.

Natsuo could only look on helplessly as Karasuba flicked the blood off her nodachi with a flourish of her blade before resheathing it at her side.

"Don't give me that look, boy. I told you exactly what would happen if they didn't live up to my expectations." Karasuba said simply. "I didn't kill them, but you should get them medical attention or they really will die."

Natsuo paled and fled to the emergency stairs, frantically dialing the MBI medivac team to come up to the roof. He may not have harbored any romantic feelings for either of his Sekirei, but having them die on his watch was something he did not want on his conscience.

Throughout the chaos of the fight, Minaka's insane grin remained fixed in place. Cape fluttering behind him, he let out a cackle of mirth.

"So, No. 04, it seems you've won our little wager! As agreed, you're now officially released from your obligations to the Disciplinary Squad."

"You act as if you could have stopped me from leaving had I really wanted to go." She replied tersely. Her limited patience had run short, especially after the disappointing failures Minaka's hyped Sekirei had been.

Minaka smiled predatorily in kind. "Perhaps, Karasuba-chan." He turned to gaze out upon the Tokyo skyline. "So what are you going to do now with your newfound freedom?"

"Anything I want really. Maybe I'll amuse myself in Tokyo until your little game starts, then I'll have my pick of the litter as far as opponents go. And who knows, maybe I'll even find my own fated Ashikabi." Karasuba burst into laughter after the last sentence.

"I think _you're_ starting to rub off on me, with all that talk of love and fate and destined Ashikabi..." she muttered to herself.

The Black Sekirei leapt onto the railing, tensing to jump off into the night before pausing for one last quip. "Oh and do tell your adjusters to do a good job with the rest of the flock. I expect at least somewhat of a challenge before I win this entire thing myself."

Minaka simply gazed out onto the Tokyo skyline, broad grin firmly in place. "Sure thing, No. 4. Sure thing..."

* * *

"Please be there, please be there, please be there..."

Sahashi Minato stood nervously in a jostling crowd of Tokyo U hopefuls, trying to get a glimpse of the list of admitted students posted on the large bulletin board for all to see. He had studied fiercely for the exams, moving into a one-bedroom apartment in Tokyo just to put himself in an isolated environment to prepare properly. He had put it all on the line for this one opportunity. If he passed, he would be allowed to stay in Tokyo and attend university. If he failed, he would be forced to come home in shame with the disappointment and "I told you so"s of his mother and sister constantly hanging over his head.

With an almost desperate sense of urgency, he pushed his way to the front in a rare show of assertiveness. Minato turned his eyes to the board and slowly scanned down, praying to every god he knew that he would finally be able to live up to the expectations his family had of him. Almost as if guided by a merciful deity who had answered his prayers, his eyes snapped onto the very words he was looking for.

"Sahashi Minato... No way..." he whispered in disbelief. "I did it... I DID IT!"

Minato whooped with a giddy excitement that he had scarcely felt in ages, ignoring the angry and jealous looks being shot at him while he leapt with joy away from the bulletin board. Reaching into his pocket with shaky hands, he whipped out his cell phone and dialed his mother's number.

"Ah, Minato? Well, how'd it go?" a slightly gruff voice answered the phone. Sahashi Takami had always had a relatively deep voice, but the cigarettes she had taken to smoking recently when she felt stressed certainly didn't make it any softer to the ear.

"Mom, I did it! I passed! I'm going to be a Tokyo U student in the spring!" Minato practically shouted with glee.

"My god, you've actually done it. Congratulations, son." Takami said proudly. " So what're you going to do from now until then?"

"I was thinking I'd look for work here, earn some money for living costs and school supplies once the term begins. I don't want to put that much financial burden on you, especially with Yukari getting ready to go to university herself."

"Hm. I see. Well, if that's what you want, I suppose I can't stop you. Take care of yourself and let me know if you need anything. Congratulations again, son."

"Will do, Mom. And thanks!" Minato hung up and happily thrust his hands into his pockets. Though it was a chilly winter morning, he hardly felt the cold at all. When his stomach rumbled, he chuckled sheepishly to himself before heading out towards the nearest restaurant to celebrate.

_"I worked hard for this, I think I can treat myself out this time!"_ he thought to himself.

A sudden commotion in the corner of his eye caught his attention as he walked down the street, rousing him out of his giddy thoughts. Minato saw a burly hoodlum grab a silver haired girl roughly by the arm and immediately thought the worst. The girl was fairly tall, wearing a strange black leather top, miniskirt and stockings with a charcoal grey haori over her shoulders. The haori had an odd crest on it and in her hand was a long, tightly bound black bundle. The two of them made brief eye contact, her stony grey eyes meeting his own, and it felt as if a current of electricity passed through his body. Time itself seemed to slow, and it looked as if her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with recognition.

When the thug practically dragged her into a nearby alley, breaking the eye contact, his heart clenched with fear and a strange burning that he would realize later was anger. He knew he had to take action. Though he possessed no remarkable physical ability or self-defense training, his sense of duty and responsibility wouldn't just let him stand by as someone was potentially being assaulted. With that in mind, Minato charged into the alleyway, not expecting to win a fight but at least even the odds enough to look for an opportunity for the both of them to escape.

"Hehe," he heard the thug chuckle perversely. "With that odd little cosplay of yours, you must be one of the so-called Sekirei running around Tokyo I've heard so much about, huh? Name's Kazu. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you a good time."

He put his hand on the wall directly next to the silver-haired girl's head, but she didn't even flinch once. She simply gazed impassively at him an unreadable expression on her face.

"Cat got your tongue? Why don't you speak up, what's your name, ojou-chan?"

"Karasuba." she said.

* * *

_'Hmph, what a pathetic excuse for an Ashikabi,' _the Black Sekirei snorted to herself. _'He may have looked strong on the outside, but he's nothing but a pig in human clothing. I should have known I wouldn't react to him... Damn you for giving me these disgusting thoughts of true love and fated meetings.'_ She slowly reached for the hilt of her disguised nodachi, fully intending to cut the offending man down before she was startled by the appearance of a long-haired young man in the alleyway.

"O-oi! W-what do you think you're doing?" he shouted in a slightly shaky voice. The young man looked scared out of his mind and his face was as pale as a sheet, but his expression was set with a strong determination not to back down in the face of blatant danger.

_ 'This boy looks like he could get blown away by a stiff breeze at any moment but he's still trying to stand up to this trash? Interesting...'_ Karasuba mused. The faintest stirrings of something mysterious fluttered in her chest as she observed the situation unfolding before her eyes.

Kazu turned with a dismissive look of indifference at the interruption. "Who the fuck are you? Get the fuck outta here, kid. The grownups are speaking."

Ignoring him, the thug simply turned back to heckling her. Karasuba watched as the young man clenched his fists in frustration, her sharp hearing picking up muttered curses at himself for his own weakness. Hands slightly trembling, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a few numbers before raising his voice again.

"Y-you better leave that girl alone," he yelled with a slight hitch in his voice. He held up his phone with the numbers 112 clearly dialed in. "I've got the police on call and I'm not afraid to ring them in if you don't leave that girl alone!"

"Wow, the little boy's got at least some teeny tiny balls, eh?" Kazu walked up to the young man, getting right up into his face. To his credit, he didn't flinch a single bit but Karasuba hadn't realized it was possible for a human to get even paler than that stranger already was before. The thug reached out and slapped the phone out of his hand. "Oops, my hand slipped. What're you going to do about it, kid?

The "kid" in question trembled slightly as he appeared to consider his options. The adrenaline undoubtedly pumping through his veins demanded he fight or flee, but Karasuba didn't expect much out of the random boy who obviously got in over his head. Confronted by an obviously stronger opponent, his most logical course of action would be to turn tail and run. It was human nature, but she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of disappointment.

After a split second of hesitation, he stunned her by choosing both. The dark haired youth went for a swift kick to the thug's balls, striking with all of his adrenaline-fueled might and sending Kazu to the ground in whimpering pain. Pausing only to scoop up his cracked phone, the young man ran over to Karasuba and grabbed her hand.

"We've gotta run before this guy gets up! C'mon, I'll lead the way!" he yelled as they ran out of the alleyway.

Karasuba's momentary astonishment quickly faded away, replaced by only a mysterious smile as she pondered the growing warm feeling in her chest. _'This boy, weak as he may seem, risked his neck for a total stranger and actually got away with it. He faced down a stronger opponent and actually won...? This feeling in my chest... Am I really reacting to him... Yume?"_

* * *

Once they finally turned the corner into a nearby park after running for what seemed like blocks, Minato slumped into a nearby bench and gasped for breath. Karasuba on the other hand still looked as fresh as a daisy, like she had simply gone for a light stroll through the city. After a moment's contemplation, she casually sat down next to him on the bench without a word.

After finally catching his breath, Minato turned to address the mysterious girl. Now that he finally got a chance to really study her, he could only blush at her beauty. She caught him staring, turning to fix him with an odd stare. He blushed deeper and excused himself, getting up to buy a couple of drinks. It was a simultaneously a genuine gesture and an opportunity for him to regroup his thoughts. Returning with a pair of canned hot coffees, he handed one to her and attempted to make small talk to lighten the awkward atmosphere.

"So, Karasuba-san was it? My name is Sahashi Minato. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Quite," she replied simply, shifting slightly on the bench to face him directly. "Thank you for your... assistance back there."

"Ah, it was no problem. I couldn't just stand by and let that guy harass you."

"Why?" She tilted her head quizzically.

"Like I said, I didn't want to just let that guy do whatever he wanted to you. You deserve better than that."

"Why intervene when you knew you were likely outclassed in every way?" Karasuba pressed further, setting her drink down. "That man was bigger than you, stronger than you, older than you and thus likely more experienced that you as well – you would lose in a straight fight, and yet you charged into that alley anyway. Why?"

"I – I... It's hard to explain, but I just felt like I couldn't let any harm come to you." Minato flushed an even darker red, remembering that odd moment that they made eye contact in before she had been pulled away. He forced himself to keep looking her in the eye, knowing on an almost instinctive level she would not take him seriously otherwise. "I know this will sound weird but I felt... drawn to you for some reason. Before you were pulled into the alley, we made eye contact and... I just knew I had to protect you to the best of my ability."

At those words, the warm feeling in Karasuba's grew into a roaring blaze and a light pink dusted her cheeks. She slowly clutched a hand to her heart, feeling it beat harder and harder in Minato's presence. She had never felt such a thing before, but she instinctively knew it was because she was reacting to the young man in front of her.

Karasuba reached out with her other hand and clutched the back of Minato's head, grabbing him by the hair to pull him towards her. Her forehead rested on his, the simple contact and intimacy magnifying the fire in her heart into an inferno that threatened to burn her up from the inside out with its intensity. Minato could only go with her pace, swept along by Karasuba's forceful energy. He made no effort to resist, feeling strangely at ease and like this was all something right. Something meant to happen.

"Weird? Not at all." She breathed out, emphasizing each word sensually. "Because you... are my Ashikabi."

"W-wha-" Minato stuttered out before being interrupted by Karasuba.

The Black Sekirei placed her free hand on his cheek and took his lips in hers, giving him a searing kiss. Wings of inky black burst from her shoulders, filling the park with an eerie glow. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth, fighting for dominance. To Minato, the kiss went on for what felt like an eternity. It wasn't until he felt his vision dim and his heart burn painfully for air that he finally broke away with a gasping breath.

"By the blade of my pledge, I swear to exterminate your sworn enemies, my Ashikabi. You are mine as I am yours, now and forevermore." Karasuba purred, holding his face in both hands.

"Wha- what? I don't understand, Karasuba-san. What just happened?" Minato sputtered, strangely in shock more because of how fast everything had transpired rather than over the fact that it had transpired in the first place.

Just then, Minato's cell phone rang and interrupted whatever explanation Karasuba had planned. Picking up the phone, he was met with the piercing laugh of a spectacled man in an all-white outfit.

"Congratulations, Minato-kun! You've been selected to be the partner of a Sekirei!" he boomed through the video connection.

"W-who are you?" Minato asked quizzically. The events of the entire day had thrown him far outside his comfort zone. Things were rapidly spiraling out of his control and he was getting more and more confused by the minute.

"You don't know who I am? HAHAHA!" he cackled. "I didn't think there was anyone who's anyone left in this world who doesn't know about me or my company, but no matter! Now, as I was saying, you've been selected to be the partner of a Sekirei! And not just any Sekirei, No. 4 Karasuba to be precise!"

"Minato-kun, be a dear and hang up will you?" Karasuba leaned over his shoulder and breathed into Minato's ear, a strained smile concealing her irritation at being interrupted by MBI's president of all people.

"Bwahaha, Karasuba-chan, you're so mean to me!" Minaka chortled. "But seriously, hear me out here, Minato-kun!"

Karasuba simply reached over Minato's shoulder and hit the end call button without a word, placing a deceptively dainty finger on Minato's lips to silence his protests.

"Shhhhhhh..." She waggled the other finger in his face in a show of mock disapproval. "Anything that fool would have told you is full of fluff and nonsense. I'll do all the explaining you'll need to be caught up to speed with this Sekirei Plan he's schemed up."

"Should we head somewhere more private then, Karasuba-san?" Minato asked. "Whatever this thing is, it sounds important and we probably shouldn't talk about it in a park, right? Let's head back to my place."

"Ara ara, taking a girl you've just met back to your place already? What a beast you are, Minato-kun." Karasuba replied playfully. "All jokes aside though, yes. Privacy would be best."

* * *

After a short walk back to Minato's apartment complex, Minato paused on the staircase leading to his floor.

"What's the matter, tired already?"

"No, it's not that. It's just... I've never brought a girl back to my apartment before because my landlord is extremely strict about that kind of thing for some reason. He'll kick me out if he catches you here!"

Karasuba tapped a finger on her lip thoughtfully before answering. "Well in that case, we'll just have to not get caught." She said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Minato heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation and trudged on, nervously leading the way to his humble home for the past months of his self-imposed study exile. It was a small studio apartment, furnished with only the bare necessities for a single person to live somewhat comfortably. The only concessions to luxury Minato could afford was a small couch he hoped to entertain guests on before finding out about the landlord's strict anti-visitor policy. Nowadays, its only use was when he slept on it because he was too lazy to pull himself into bed for a proper night's sleep after studying for hours on end.

"It's not much, but it's home." he said with just a hint of embarrassment, unlocking the door and quietly opening it as to rouse as little attention as possible.

Karasuba walked in, her experienced eye taking only a brief moment to note everything in the cramped apartment with one look, and frowned. No Ashikabi of hers was going to live in what she considered a peasant's hovel, not while she could help it. Before she could speak up, Minato placed two glasses of water on the table and offered her a seat on the plain-looking cushions he set out at his small coffee table. She gave him a long stare before wordlessly folding herself gracefully onto it, sitting across the table in front of him with her nodachi laid beside her.

"So, Karasuba-san," he began before she interrupted him with a raised hand.

"Drop the –san, or any other honorifics you might be thinking of. You are my Ashikabi and I am your Sekirei, there's no need for that kind of formality." Karasuba may not have been your average Sekirei with mad dreams of romance and wild love, but even she felt uncomfortable with the man she was bonded with using stuffy honorifics with her. It just wasn't her style to begin with.

"K-Karasuba then," he started again with a slight nervous stutter at jumping so intimately into first name basis with a girl he just met. A beautiful girl to be sure, but still a practical stranger before today. "First off, what's all this about Ashikabi? What's a Sekirei? And the Sekirei Plan you were talking about?"

Amused at his rapid fire curiosity, she paused a bit to figure out where to begin.

"A Sekirei is what I and the 107 other brothers and sisters of mine are called, and an Ashikabi is the one person we bond to that releases our full potential. Some of my more... romantic siblings believe one's Ashikabi is one's fated partner, the person we were destined to be with. The one we were guided to meet by the power of... love..." Karasuba trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes.

"W-what about you?" Minato asked hesitantly. He didn't want to interrupt her explanation, especially since his gut feeling told him this was a sensitive topic for his newfound Sekirei, but he felt like he should say something in this situation.

The Black Sekirei merely raised an eyebrow and took a sip from her glass, giving him a look that practically screamed, "Drop it." Minato flinched internally yet let none of it show on his face. He had plenty of experience navigating touchy subjects, an education given to him by hard knocks from his mother and sister until it was second nature to read even the most subtle of mood swings in other people. Karasuba continued onward unperturbed.

"As for the Sekirei Plan, it's Minaka's stupid game where he intends to pit all 108 of us against each other in a battle royale of sorts. The winning Ashikabi allegedly 'ascends,' whatever that means, and gains power enough to put the world in his or her hands."

"That sounds incredibly dangerous and incredibly scary... You're saying I've been chosen to participate in this... game? Why me?"

"I was never really interested in the mechanics of it all, but essentially our genes reacted to each other." She leaned over the table and placed a kiss on his lips before he could react. The same black wings as earlier burst from her shoulders again, almost touching the ceiling of his small apartment.

"As you can see, my body responds to yours now because our fates are now intertwined, to borrow an expression from a former... colleague of mine. Why you in particular is something that confuses even me. I never intended to be winged by anyone in this stupid game, and even if I did, you are practically the opposite of everything I've ever envisioned in an Ashikabi. You're shy, you're timid, you're weak, and you're poor." Each negative trait she listed struck a silent blow to Minato's pride, and he slumped in his seat on the floor.

"And yet despite all that, you rushed in to save me from an opponent bigger and stronger than you are. Not that I needed saving, but the gesture is what counts. You intrigue me, Minato-kun."

Minato could only laugh sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Like I said before, I couldn't just let you get harassed by that guy. I was scared out of my mind to be honest. But the thought of something bad happening to you, despite me not knowing you at all until now, made my blood run cold."

The same warm glow that filled her when she first reacted to Minato began to diffuse throughout her chest as she stared at him in the wake of his frank answer. Karasuba forced herself to clamp down on those feelings. After all, a monster like her couldn't, wouldn't deserve to feel like that.

"Is that so?" Karasuba chuckled darkly as she reached across the table to caress his cheek with a surprisingly tender touch. "You won't have to worry about that. _I'm_ the one who makes bad things happen to other people, the one who makes _their_ blood run cold."

Her newly minted Ashikabi swallowed nervously as he met her intense gaze head on. In any other situation, Minato would have been terrified of the obviously powerful woman practically trapping him in such an intimate and vulnerable position. Being raised and surrounded by two headstrong women in his mother and younger sister had instilled a healthy fear of authoritative females in him, but for some reason he could not bring himself to fear the silver-haired beauty in front of him. Maybe it was his imagination that made him see a glimmer of pain and deep sadness in her eyes, even as she projected a dark aura of strength from every pore.

The grumbling of his stomach practically echoing in the small apartment interrupted his contemplative thoughts however, bringing a sharp laugh out of the No. 04 Sekirei.

"Hungry are we?"

"I think I completely skipped lunch in all the commotion today." Minato said, highly embarrassed. "All that running around on adrenaline made me forget all about being hungry until now." Getting up and straightening his pants, he headed towards the kitchen. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I make us some dinner."

* * *

There were several important reasons why Sahashi Takami agreed to help oversee the MBI Director's insane Sekirei Plan despite her marked disgust with the affair. Someone had to step up and fill Takehito's shoes, and she didn't trust anyone else to be in charge of oversight for the tuning of the Sekirei. The final and most important reason of all was to hold Minaka to his promise of both staying out of her children's lives, to never involve them in the Sekirei Plan at all.

She knew all too well how large in scope Minaka wanted his insane "game" to be, and between Minato studying in Tokyo to get into university and Yukari demanding to join her brother in the capitol, she could see no other way to ensure their safety. Up until now, he had kept both of his promises. But when a technician delivered that day's status updates on newly winged Sekirei, she felt her blood run cold.

"As for today's new wingings, we only have one to report. A Sahashi Minato has winged No. 04 Karasuba."

A loud crack brought the entire room to a halt as Takami snapped the clipboard in her hands with how tightly she gripped it. Not a single person dared move or make a sound out of fear, freezing mid-step or mid-keystroke at their computer terminals in an attempt to blend into the background unnoticed.

"You said who... winged who?" she said in an eerily calm voice. "I don't think I heard you properly the first time. Repeat that last part again."

The technician who had the misfortune of delivering the day's reports could only tremble violently before he mustered the courage to spit out an answer. "M-m-m-ma'am, I said Sahashi Minato winged No. 04 Karasuba."

Deafening silence filled the room as Takami only stood there with an unreadable expression on her face, her knuckles white around the broken halves of the clipboard in each hand.

"I see."

A single bead of sweat ran down the side of the poor technician's face, but he didn't dare move a muscle to wipe it. After what seemed like an eternity, Takami turned to place the two halves down on her desk. She reached for the pack of cigarettes in her lab coat pocket, taking one out and lighting it with a deft flick of her lighter. Only a cloud of smoke trailing in her wake, she briskly left the room without saying a word.

An audible collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout the room as soon as people were confident she was out of ear shot.

* * *

After a humble but filling meal of curry, Minato found himself in yet another quandary about Karasuba. While ostensibly excusing himself to wash the dishes, in reality he just wanted time to think about his next course of action.

He only had one futon, and not ever expecting overnight guests, did not have any spare sets of bedding. Not a single extra blanket or pillow beyond what was necessary for his own comfort. In any other situation, he would have been fine with sleeping on the couch or the floor while Karasuba took his futon, but winters in the capitol were brutally cold. His tiny apartment wasn't equipped with heating even if he could afford to turn it on, and it was poorly insulated to begin with. He was definitely getting what he paid for as far as rent was concerned.

Minato cast a side-long glance at where Karasuba lounging gracefully on his couch like a predator digesting its meal after a successful hunt. She had her long nodachi partially drawn, inspecting its edge for nicks and other imperfections when she noticed him staring at her. Meeting his eye out of the corner of her own with a knowing smirk, she sheathed her blade and turned to face him fully, still laying on her side with her head propped up on one arm. Turning away with a bright blush on his face, he realized that metaphor was quite apt after considering what he had seen of and knew about her so far. He tried to ignore the prickly feeling on the back of his head from what he was sure was her steely stare.

The most logical choice for what to do was simply to share a futon for warmth and practicality's sake. He didn't know the specifics of what a Sekirei's bond to an Ashikabi meant, but from what he had heard so far, it seemed as meaningful as a wedding vow. If that was the case, no one else would bat an eye at a husband choosing to sleep in the same futon with his wife, right? He couldn't help but blush again at the thought of it.

Which brought him to the reasons why such an arrangement wouldn't work. Call him old-fashioned, but he couldn't just up and sleep with a girl he had just met for the first time that day, wife or no wife. Karasuba was a beautiful woman to be sure, but he was quite certain she wasn't of the type to just lay with any man she just met that day either... Was she?

As Minato placed the last plate into the drying rack, he could only heave a sigh of defeat having come no closer to a solution than when he started. He dried his own hands with a small towel and came to a decision on the next best option – if he couldn't decide what to do, why not just ask Karasuba herself what she wanted to do? Was it running from a hard choice like he tended to do instead of coming to a decisive answer? Possibly.

"Um, Karasuba?" he asked, walking over and kneeling in seiza position by her side at the couch.

Karasuba raised an amused eyebrow at his awkwardness and answered with a simple "Yes?"

"I know this might sound weird, but hear me out." he began nervously. "You see, I only have one futon and one set of bedding..."

"And?" She said bemused. "I'm fine with sharing."

"Well... I was kind of hoping... Wait what?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, I know you heard me the first time." A dangerous looking smirk flitted across Karasuba's mouth as she got up slowly from the couch. Whispering into his ear as she passed by the stunned and blushing Minato, she excused herself to go wash up for bed.

Minato hardly noticed the time go by as he buzzed about his apartment getting ready to sleep. His mind ran a mile a minute thinking about what he was going to do with this wildly beautiful woman who accepted him sharing a bed with her, how he was going to put himself at a respectful distance from her, how he was definitely going to die if he accidentally got fresh with her in the middle of the night, how—

"...Minato." Karasuba's voice roused him out of his reverie. "Are you coming to bed or are you just going to stare at me all night?"

The young man found himself kneeling in seiza again, this time at the foot of the futon. Karasuba still had the bemused look on her face, one elegant eyebrow raised at his latest antics. She had shed the strange black and grey uniform she was wearing before, instead opting for one of Minato's old t-shirts with her hair let down from its ponytail. Minato felt his breath catch in his throat as he couldn't help but continue to stare at her. The moonlight filtering through the windows struck her face and illuminated it with an almost ethereal glow, enhancing her beauty. Karasuba patted the space next to her and Minato meandered over, mind completely blank.

"Good night, my Ashikabi." Another mysterious smile danced across her lips before she laid her head down on the pillow to sleep.

He mumbled a "Good night, Karasuba" almost absentmindedly before he laid down at her side. He stared at the ceiling for a bit before his exhaustion caught up with him. All the excitement and adrenaline of the day's events – getting into Tokyo U, running into Karasuba, running away with her, the winging – caught up with him. As if a switch was flipped, fatigue swept over his body and his eyes grew heavy. Before long, Minato was out like a light.

* * *

Karasuba laid on her side, waiting for Minato's breathing to even out. When she was convinced he had finally fallen asleep, she slowly turned over to study his lightly snoring face. She scrutinized his every feature, trying to figure out exactly how in the world it was possible for an Ashikabi like him to wing with a Sekirei like her. If she had said it once, she had said it a million times, but it still perplexed her how she had reacted to him in the first place. No matter how much she thought about it, Minato was weak and timid in nearly every way she could measure.

It wasn't exactly his fault either. Before she met him, she had little to no expectation of any human's ability to match up to her standards. They were a soft species in general to her, and what she had seen of their alleged best throughout her tours of duty in the Disciplinary Squad had not impressed her.

"I could end your life so easily," she murmured softly, gazing upon his sleeping form. He shifted in his sleep, turning on his side to face her. His jaw was turned upward for some reason or other, and his jugular vein stood out in sharp relief in the moonlight. She could see very clearly the slow throbbing of his heartbeat.

An all-too familiar feeling of bloodlust began to well up inside of her body as she took in his vulnerable state. It would be nothing but child's play to reach out and snap his neck in her hands, to wring his throat and watch him sputter for air as the light left his eyes, to slit his throat with her blade and feed on his blood –

The Black Sekirei bit down sharply on her lip, drawing blood to help suppress her murderous tendencies. She was lucky her own could somewhat sate her urge for killing, but it was far easier to just give into those destructive whispers in her mind. Digging her palms into her eyes, she laid on her back and chuckled self-depreciatingly to herself.

"The first person who ever reacted to me, probably the only person who would ever react to me, and all I can think about on our first night together is all the ways I could kill you... I'm disgusting, aren't I, Minato?"

A restlessness filled her as she laid next to him, trying to fall asleep but with no luck. Perhaps it would be better if she just roamed the darkened streets of Tokyo, looking for a worthy opponent to slake her thirst. It wouldn't take long, she reasoned. By now, most if not all of the Sekirei should have been released, so there was likely no shortage of potential fights to be had. Surely one of them at least had to be worthy of her time. Maybe she'd run into No. 88, she had to have gotten stronger since the last time she saw her, right? Karasuba figured she could probably be back before Minato even realized she had left in the first place.

Karasuba didn't know how much longer she could last without taking another life. It had been almost a week and a half since that little battle with the Third Generation Disciplinary Squad hopefuls and she didn't even have the opportunity to kill them for their insolence, something she hoped to remedy the next time she ran into them. Even before that, she hadn't been able to kill anything or anyone for weeks as MBI missions slowed to a crawl in order to focus resources on preparing for the Sekirei Plan. On some deep subconscious level of her, Karasuba was repulsed by her near-addiction to murder and destruction but she was too far gone in her own opinion to change now. It was that same addiction that tore apart the First Generation Disciplinary Squad, the same addiction that killed her only friend...

She shook her head in an attempt to clear her head of the spiraling thoughts fluttering about. The sudden movement seemed to rouse Minato somewhat as he stirred softly.

"... mm Karasuba... Why are you still awake...?" he slurred, still mostly asleep. "Sleepy time now..."

"I..."

"... ssssstop... Sleepy time now," he slurred insistently. Suddenly surging forward, he wrapped his arms around Karasuba's slightly surprised body right underneath her breasts and latched on firmly.

"Minato-?"

Her only reply was a light snoring – apparently he had fallen right back to sleep, still clinging onto her from behind.

Karasuba scoffed quietly. She had never met any soul brave enough to do what Minato was doing now, not that she gave many people an opportunity to share a bed with her to begin with. Spooning, at least she thought that was the expression, was something wholly foreign to her. _She_ had mentioned it in passing as one of the things she wanted to do with her Ashikabi once she met her fated partner, but Karasuba had always just rolled her eyes and tuned her out once she started gushing about big spoons and little spoons.

It was safe to say the infamous Black Sekirei had never imagined herself in a situation quite like this, but she was surprisingly unperturbed by Minato's forwardness. Laying there in his arms, she felt a sense of warmth and security unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her previous restlessness and murderous intent had faded away almost entirely. It hadn't completely disappeared, she could still feel it prowling at the edge of her consciousness like a predator stalking its prey, but it was at a manageable state. She felt herself relax ever so slightly, for the first time since _her_ death, and settled in for the long haul. After all, with Minato's hold on her body, it wasn't like she was about to go anywhere. No. 04 was many things, but an inconsiderate Sekirei to her Ashikabi wasn't one of them.

He was going to need every bit of his strength for the storm to come.


	2. The Evening Frost

Chapter 2 – The Evening Frost

* * *

_"You killed her."_

A flash of the blade, a spray of blood. A deafening scream filled the air, full of pain and anguish. She couldn't tell where it was coming from but it surrounded her like a thick blanket, smothering her with its pervasive noise. Her throat burned with an unquenchable thirst.

_"You KILLED her."_

A body stood impaled on her blade, buried up to the hilt in its chest. Blood, there was so much blood... It dripped from her hands, it pooled at her feet, it covered her face in its cloying thickness.

_"YOU KILLED HER."_

Bloody hands cupped her cheeks with a feather-soft touch. _She_ leaned heavily on her, touching chest to chest. She had always been a little taller, so _she_ had to gather the last bit of her strength to stand up on tippy toes to be heard. _Her_ final breath filled her ears.

_"You _killed_ me, Karasuba-chan."_

The gentle caress of her cheeks turned into an excruciating pain as delicate fingers turned to wicked talons digging into her face. _Her_ face twisted into a cruel caricature of itself until it slowly warped into a more familiar visage. Brown eyes faded to a dirty grey, short brown hair lengthened into a mottled silver. As if staring into a mirror, what she found staring back filled her with a revulsion and horror beyond her capacity to express. _Her _lips curled into a malevolent smile devoid of all warmth.

_"You killed me, Karasuba-chan. And I will _never_ let you find peace."_

_She_ grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back, exposing the flesh of her neck. Sharp fangs sank into the side of her throat and tore it out before throwing her to the floor in disgust. Karasuba's hands clutched futilely at the wound like trying to block a river with a single stone. _She _left her lying there to choke on her own blood, desperately gurgling for air.

Karasuba finally realized that the screaming was her own.

* * *

Minato had been experiencing a rather odd dream where he was kissing birds that turned into headstrong, intimidating girls before he was startled awake by a loud scream. Heart pounding with a sudden rush of adrenaline, he jolted upright before he remembered just where he was and who was in bed with him. Inadvertently pulling Karasuba up with him, a sharp whimper from her was all it took for him to regain enough presence of mind to clutch her shivering body to him.

Gently stroking her hair, he murmured soothing sounds into her ear as he attempted to slowly rouse her from whatever nightmare it was she was having. Years of experience doing the same for Yukari as they were growing up together made the gestures instinctual for him, not quite fully realizing yet that it was his new Sekirei and not his little sister in his arms. Karasuba's shivering eventually stopped as she slowly relaxed into his embrace.

Blinking the last few grains of sand out of his eyes, Minato came fully awake with an unfamiliar scent in his nose. He was only momentarily confused until he saw Karasuba's distinctive hair color. Strangely unflappable this early in the morning, he simply continued rubbing small circles into his silver-haired Sekirei's back until she laid a hesitant hand on his cheek.

"Minato?" she asked in a soft voice. He realized on a deep subconscious level that she needed a delicate touch right now. His delicate touch.

"I'm here."

Karasuba simply buried her face into his chest without a word, a little of the tension in her shoulders fading away. She didn't know why. Maybe it was shame at showing such weakness in front of her Ashikabi or, a small part of her wasn't afraid to admit, maybe she just found comfort in his embrace.

Drawing on all the years of people reading and tact he learned the hard way from the women of his family, Minato left her alone and didn't attempt to pry. He only drew her more tightly into his arms and let her take as much time as she needed to regroup her thoughts. His embrace seemed to have a calming effect on her, sending a mental resonance through what he later realized was their burgeoning bond.

A loud pounding at the door suddenly cut through the atmosphere of the moment, sending Minato into a full panic. The both of them turned toward the door before turning to look at each other to decide a course of action.

_"I really hope that's not the landlord knocking because he heard a scream, please don't be the landlord knocking because he heard a scream..."_ he begged every deity out there.

"Minato," Karasuba rasped, voice still a bit hoarse from the scream. "You should probably get that."

"Are you sure, Karasuba? I'm sure it's just a door-to-door salesman, nothing to worry about." Minato laughed nervously.

"Sahashi! Oi, everything alright? I heard a woman's scream, what's going on in there, boy?"

"Oh shit," he swore under his breath.

Though he was hesitant to part with Karasuba right at that moment, he really needed to go smooth things over with the landlord and come up with a plausible excuse for what had happened. Stubbing his toe on the coffee table worked just fine, right? With a small apologetic smile and fleeting glances at Karasuba who only gently, but insistently pushed him towards the door, Minato slowly made his way to the door in order to stall for time for his brain to come up with better excuses.

Opening the door only just enough for his face to peek through the crack, Minato faked a yawn and pretended to paw at his eyes groggily.

"Mornin', Genzaburou-san. Whassa matter?" He slurred a bit for dramatic effect.

"Don't play dumb with me, boy. I heard a scream, damn nearly woke up the whole floor too. What's going on in there?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. I must have had a... bad dream or something and yelled in my sleep. I didn't realize I was so noisy, I'm sorry."

"It was a woman's voice, I know one when I hear one! You got a woman in there, Sahashi? It's against the rules!" Genzaburou insisted.

Minato's eyes widened slightly in panic and he had to discretely pinch himself to keep his nerves under control.

"No no, absolutely no women in here, Genzaburou-san. You know me, I'm a serious student, no time for girls even if it _wasn't_ against the rules in the first place! Aha ha..."

The old landlord practically smelled blood in the water with the way his face lit up with a cruel sneer. "Well then, you wouldn't mind me coming in for an inspection then, Sahashi?" Genzaburou then attempted to force his way into the door before Minato tried desperately to keep the door closed.

"Um, of course, haha! Just give me a moment to tidy up a bit, you know how messy single guys can get!" He did his best to send a discrete signal to Karasuba to hide, but couldn't risk turning around to make sure she got it without giving it all away to the landlord. "Please, come back in a bit!"

Karasuba watched the entire exchange with a thoughtful expression on her face. Perhaps it was the perfect opportunity to kill two, no, several birds with one stone. She strongly felt that her Ashikabi deserved better than scraping by in near squalor, but she sensed he wouldn't accept moving for no reason. His was a kind soul who wouldn't take what he saw as a free handout, that much was evident from his lifestyle and from small talk they had made over dinner about his mother's allowance for him each month. If she got him kicked out, she'd be able to more or less force him to accept moving into a better home for the both of them with minimal fuss. Several birds, one stone – just the perfect amount of killing efficiency she liked.

With that in mind, she quietly snuck up behind him without anyone the wiser. No. 04 placed a firm hand landed on Minato's shoulder suddenly, startling him enough that he lost ground to the landlord. Throwing the door open in triumph, Genzaburou was met with the sight of a silver-haired girl, her hair tied up into a loose ponytail and wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt, practically draped over Minato's shoulder.

"Good morning, you must be Minato's landlord I've heard so much about. Pleased to meet you," she said as she extended a hand in greeting, voice still husky from the morning's events.

Both Minato and the landlord turned to gape at her, the two of them speechless with a mix of shock, anger, and muted horror on their faces.

"S-S-SA-HA-SHIIIIIII!" Genzaburou yelled. "THIS IS A CONTRACT VIOLATION! How dare you bring a... a WOMAN here? Pack your bags and get out by the end of the week!"

"W-wait, I can explain!"

"You heard me, Sahashi. OUT!" The old landlord turned to storm off in a fit of rage.

"B-but today is a Wednesday, h-how am I supposed to—"

"BY THE END OF THE WEEK!" He yelled, not even bothering to turn around.

As soon as the landlord rounded the corner, Minato weakly shut the door and slumped against it. "Oh Karasuba, what are we going to do? We have nowhere to go, I barely had enough money to pay the rent here and it was the cheapest I could find! How am I supposed to find a place for us to live with such short notice?"

"I wouldn't worry so much about that," She smirked seeing his distraught expression, but it quickly slid off her face with a slight bit of guilt. They say the only way to make an omelet was to break a few eggs, but seeing him so genuinely upset was not quite a part of her plan. Still, she pressed onward.

"Each Sekirei is given a special MBI black credit card for his or her personal use throughout the duration of the game. With the financial backing of the company, it's got practically no limit. We could afford any place we wanted."

"But I—"

"I won't take no for an answer, Minato."

Minato's refusal to accept handouts warred with his sense of pragmatism. On the one hand, becoming a freeloader mooching off of his Sekirei was an entirely unpalatable situation that he wanted to avoid if at all possible. He was already planning on securing a couple of part-time jobs to support the both of them as it was before this all went down, rather than ask for more money from his mother to cover the costs.

But on the other hand, it was unlikely that he would be able to find something in time to scrape together enough money for a rent deposit even if they had found a place within their budget. The end of the week deadline gave them only a few days to look, and Tokyo was an expensive city. Swallowing his pride, he knew the rational course of action would be to have Karasuba to pay for whatever housing she wanted even if it did leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Alright then, Karasuba. If that's what you want, we should get to looking. Time's a-wasting..."

* * *

After they washed up and had a quick breakfast, Minato and Karasuba headed to a realtor's office to apply for housing. With the newfound financial flexibility afforded to them by the MBI black card, they had the pick of the litter so to speak. Of course, most of Minato's more frugal options were outright thrown out as were Karasuba's more extravagant choices, but they eventually settled on a two-story home with a master bedroom and 5 other bedrooms located in the northern sector of Tokyo.

"Why do we need such a big house for, Karasuba? It's only going to be the two of us living in it, I don't think we'll need that much space ever!" Minato asked curiously as they signed the last bit of paperwork.

"I refuse to live in a place without plenty of room. You can always leave unused space empty, you can never summon up more space when you need it."

He had to admit it was sound logic, if not a bit wasteful by his standards. Still, if Karasuba felt so strongly about it, who was he to oppose her decision? After all, she was now the official breadwinner between the two of them.

Having found a new home so quickly, Minato's worries were alleviated slightly as they returned to the apartment to pack up Minato's meager belongings. He didn't have much, so it didn't take very long at all to gather everything up nor was it particularly difficult to transport it all. The landlord stopped by to collect the keys and make sure Minato didn't attempt to steal any of the apartment's furniture.

"Thank you for taking care of me during my stay, Genzaburou-san." Minato bowed lightly to the crotchety old man who sputtered a bit at his earnestness.

"Hrumph. Well, at least you kept the place tidy, Sahashi."

"Yes, thank you for taking care of my Minato, Genzaburou-san. Now, about his deposit...?" Karasuba smiled pleasantly, but lurking just beneath the surface was a dangerous predator used to getting her way.

The landlord paled, sensing a vague discomforting feeling emanating from the tall silver-haired girl. "O-of course you'll be refunded the deposit." He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Minato with a slight hitch in his voice. "Now get out of here, I need to hurry up and find a new tenant."

* * *

Walking alongside Minato as they finally gathered their belongings to move out, Karasuba and her Ashikabi had settled into a comfortable silence without any awkwardness. As the sun shone brightly in the sky, birds chirped overhead, and a refreshing winter breeze blew through the trees, she thought she could get used to a different pace than usual. Sure, she wasn't doing any killing or murdering or general raising of mayhem, but this... This wasn't so bad. She could almost forget the whispers that lurked in the corner of her mind. Almost.

Karasuba was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and smoothly the moving process had gone. From getting evicted from the old apartment, to finding a new home, to moving out of the apartment and into the new home, everything had gone according to plan. Admittedly, it had been a bit callous of her to deliberately show herself like that to the landlord in order to get Minato kicked out, but the look on that old coot's face was more than worth it in her opinion. Minato's face was hilarious too, now that she thought about it. Teasing Minato was more fun than she expected, not quite at the level of fun of a good battle but still substantial enough to matter to her at least.

Still, showing him that pathetic side of her was not part of any plan she made. The nightmares were nothing new of course, she had been plagued by those for years, but having another soul since _her_ witness them was. She had hoped never ever to reveal that side of her to her Ashikabi if she could have helped it, but what was done was done. The lapse that had happened that morning would simply have to never repeat itself in the future, but that could be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The weather outside was too pleasant to waste on such thoughts.

Suddenly not feeling the presence of her Ashikabi around her, she whirled around to see him a couple dozen yards behind her. He was as pale as a sheet and clutching onto the back of a park bench for dear life.

"K-karasuba... C-could we take a break...? I can't go on anymore...!" Minato wheezed. Face sweating all over, her Ashikabi looked completely exhausted. He had insisted that they be as frugal as possible, so her initial suggestion of renting moving services had been rejected in favor of carrying their meager belongings themselves. Neither of them had many possessions to transport, but it was the combination of his stubborn refusal to let her carry it all with the comparatively blistering pace she had absentmindedly set while lost in thought that drained him faster than she expected.

She had forgotten he wasn't exactly the most physically fit representative of his species. To his credit, she realized they had trekked nearly two-thirds of the way there before he had keeled over and called for a rest. Considering he had been carrying nearly 40 pounds of weight on his back (she carried the remaining 90 or so without breaking a sweat) over 6 miles without complaint, maybe he was stronger than she thought.

The Black Sekirei nodded her assent, and as if he was waiting for it the entire time, Minato unceremoniously flopped into the bench and plopped his sack of belongings at his feet. Suppressing the urge to laugh at loud at how miserable her Ashikabi looked, Karasuba chose to just sit down beside him instead. Now probably wasn't the time for teasing, but she mentally filed that look on his face away for use later.

"H-how... how are you doing, Karasuba?" Minato practically gasped as he sat in the shade. "W-want... a drink or something?"

There was that peculiar habit of his again. It confused her how his first instinct seemed to be her well-being, even before his own sense of self-preservation. This wasn't the first time either. Throughout the past few days, he had done little things like ask how she was or if he could do anything for her before but this was the first time he had done so like this. Bone tired and looking ready to blow away with a stiff breeze, yet still trying to look out for her? Odd. Very odd. She had seen other men and women alike throw their pride, their honor, their friends, and comrades for even the barest shreds of a chance at escaping from her blade. Humans were supposed to be universally selfish and self-centered to the bone, but Minato turned her assumption on its head.

"I'm fine, but you look like you could use a drink more than me," she said aloud.

Minato chuckled weakly. "I guess that's true. I'm pretty out of shape, I should probably start exercising regularly again if I want to be able to keep up with you somewhat... Sit tight, I'll be right back."

With a visible gathering of his strength, he heaved himself off the bench with a puff of exhaustion and gingerly made his way to the nearest vending machine. Karasuba had never met anyone who was that selfless before.

No, that was wrong. _She_ was just the same as Minato, always asking her how she was doing or doing her little favors here and there. The Black Sekirei scoffed to herself, the whole notion of it was ridiculous. The both of them treated her like some kind of fragile china doll or something, as if she wasn't fully capable of getting by without them. She had done just fine before she had met _her_, she did just fine after _her_, and she would do just fine after Minato too.

_"That's right... No one would just help someone like you without an ulterior motive..."_ The tiny voice at the back of her mind whispered. _"_She_ left you all alone, _she_ betrayed your trust, and he will too. It's only a matter of time..."_

But it felt so... right to be with Minato. He genuinely seemed interested in her well-being with no strings attached. He made her feel welcome, for the first time in a long time. And besides, who could she trust if not her Ashikabi anyway?

_"You know that's bullshit... You can only trust yourself. Remember the last time you let someone in?"_

Oh, she remembered all too well. She remembered it almost every night. Was it only a matter of time before Minato betrayed her too?

_"Yes... Better to strike first before you are struck yourself..."_

A small part of her screamed in protest, knowing full well that killing Minato would inevitably end in her own death as the Sekirei dead switch activated. Even self-preservation aside, he had treated her well! He didn't deserve to die!

But the seething, roiling part of her psyche latched onto that stray thought. It thirsted for his blood. He was weak now and exhausted from trekking so far without rest, it cajoled. She could end him at her leisure, in this empty park with no bystanders. No one to intrude on her intimate banquet with her Ashikabi. She could show him a rare mercy by ending him quickly so he wouldn't suffer. Much. He deserved the special treatment as her fated one. After all, she could only feast on one in her whole lifetime, there would be no seconds.

_"Now is the perfect opportunity_," her mind crooned.

There would be no interference. No one to interrupt her, only she would be audience to his exquisite final rattling breath as his life left his lungs. That sweet, sweet sound was like music to her ears, and no one else had the right to partake of it but her.

Karasuba licked her lips hungrily at the thought of it all. What would his final moments be like, she wondered, fully enraptured by the throes of her bloodlust. Would he scream and cry, futilely begging on his hands and knees for her mercy? Maybe he would try to run, she quite liked it when they ran. It made things far more exciting when she finally cornered them and extinguished the last bits of desperate hope in their eyes. Or maybe -

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie. She whirled around, a murderous scowl half-formed on her face until she abruptly came face to face with Minato. He raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and handed her a cold bottle of water.

"Something the matter, Karasuba? You seem a little out of it." he asked curiously.

How could she have dropped her guard so low that even an untrained human like Minato could get the drop on her? Karasuba desperately tried to rein in her savage bloodlust. He had committed no wrong and there was no reason to attack, not to mention the sheer suicidal insanity of killing one's own Ashikabi. She bit down sharply on the inside of her cheek, drawing blood to take the worst of the edge off and immediately felt a little more clear-headed. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she simply shrugged and took the offered drink.

"I would have gotten you something else, but I didn't know what flavors you like." he said, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Now that I think about it, I just got those coffees the other day randomly without thinking about it. What do you like to drink, anyhow? For future reference."

She could have laughed out loud. Here she was, plotting his murder and all he could think about was what drinks she liked? Her innocent fool of an Ashikabi really didn't know how close he had come to death, did he? That was twice now that he had unwittingly done that, but each time was proving more and more difficult to snap out of her murderous haze.

"Water and coffee are fine. I've never really had anything else, so I can't say what my favorites are."

"What?! You've never had anything other than water or coffee?" Minato's jaw gaped in shock. "How have you lived without trying anything else?"

The Black Sekirei only shrugged helplessly. She couldn't very well explain to him how she had spent the past years of her life while in the Disciplinary Squad. He wouldn't understand, she and he came from far too different worlds. Minato might even come to be repulsed by her bloodstained past, and she couldn't risk seeing her deepest fears come to pass. No, better not to even bring it up in the first place.

"Okay, that's something I'm going to have to rectify ASAP!" Minato continued excitedly. "Oh man, when you taste the literal world of beverages out there, you're sure to find something you like! After we settle in, how about we should go out for dinner and try some drinks?"

Karasuba allowed herself a tentative smile, her Ashikabi's exuberance was proving to be infectious. He seemed to have forgotten his previous fatigue in his excitement.

"Sure, if you're paying." She teased.

As he deflated somewhat at the thought of it, she let out a peal of laughter. Teasing him really was such fun. She still didn't know how to feel about this new life she had found with Minato. Was it better than the constant slaughter she had drowned herself in? She had yet to find something that was truly more invigorating than the adrenaline rush of battle but she supposed finding new ways to fluster the human who had become her Ashikabi was a serviceable second.

But this peace could only last as long as he remained blissfully ignorant of the sins she had committed. The less he knew about her past, the better.

_"Eventually, he _will_ find out. And once that happens, do you really think these carefree days_ _will go on?"_

She prayed she would never have to find out.

* * *

About a week or two after getting fully settled in their new home together, Minato was starting to feel cooped up and restless.

Without the overwhelming pressure of university entrance exams to worry about anymore, he realized he didn't really have much else going on in his life. Most of his friends were back home, and he hadn't made very many other acquaintances in the city in the time since he had moved there. Most of his waking hours were devoted to studying, so he hadn't had time or energy to spare on socializing. Sure he had a couple of study buddies in the cram school he attended, but they weren't particularly close. And he was quite certain they hadn't passed the exams like he had. If he had called them up to hang out, it would surely seem like he was rubbing it in their faces.

Chores weren't really a big part of his routine either. Despite insisting that he take care of everything in their home (mostly out of guilt for letting Karasuba pay for it all), he really did not spend all too much time on them. Both he and Karasuba were tidy people with few personal belongings to clutter the home, so cleaning wasn't as big of an ordeal as in a normal household despite their large home. Laundry wasn't particularly difficult either since neither of them fussed about their personal appearance, especially around each other. There was a bit of awkwardness (mostly on Minato's part) when he washed Karasuba's delicates, but the only time she acknowledged it was the one time she laughed at him after walking in on him blushing with her panties in hand.

Karasuba on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to lie about the house simply relaxing or observing him. It was almost eerie how her eyes seemed to track his every movement, as if she were studying his behavior and making mental logs of it. He didn't know how to feel about it, but he chalked it up to another one of her peculiarities. She was probably just trying to get to know him better in her own way, so he didn't mind it as much. Still, it was a little bit discomforting to have her follow him around and watch him all the time.

As an extension of that hobby of hers, she insisted on sharing the master bedroom with him despite his offer to concede the room to her. He had thought she would have wanted her own personal space, but she was surprisingly affectionate in day to day life. Karasuba loved skinship like lounging around with his head in her lap or cuddling with him on the sofa for naps. She did have her days where she seemed extremely on edge, disappearing at times to go exercise off tension he didn't quite know the cause of. Those days she absolutely refused any physical contact with him though she would always "make it up to him" later by being even more affectionate than usual. It was difficult to adjust to her mood swings at first, but he was steadily getting better at reading her emotions through the bond they shared.

Of course he used all of the time they spent together to try get to know her better, but she still seemed very guarded around him. Much like the first night they had spent together, Karasuba would occasionally wake up shivering in the middle of the night from nightmares and wouldn't be able to calm down until he held her in his arms. She would never tell him what she saw in those dreams, no matter how hard he tried to get her to open up. He tried to be as open and approachable as possible, though it didn't seem to have any effect on getting his Sekirei to relax around him. He was determined to learn at least some things about her every day, no matter how superficial like what her favorite color was (black) or what her favorite animals were (cats). It was slow going, but he was determined to work at it patiently.

Through his own careful observance of her schedule, he managed to glean a few helpful nuggets of information about her. If she wasn't sleeping or watching him do chores, she was training with her blade. She took extremely meticulous care of it, always keeping it polished to a shine and inspecting its edge for imperfections or nicks daily. He still wasn't entirely sure why, but Karasuba seemed more invigorated when she had her nodachi in hand. She rarely let it leave her side or hands except to sleep, and even then it was always within arm's reach. No. 04 kept herself in just as good shape as her sword, training each day by practicing kata or sparring against imaginary opponents in their backyard. He once asked her why she worked so hard only for her to smile enigmatically in reply.

He envied her work ethic. Minato did put in the effort to get in shape, but that too was slow going. He still couldn't keep up with her own monstrous work-out routine, and though he did feel a little discouraged about it, her slightly impressed smile each day he woke up with her to exercise made it all worth it in the end.

Still, he couldn't very well spend the rest of his days cleaning and exercising and sleeping all day. He needed a purpose, some kind of activity to occupy his time. It finally hit him one day that he should probably get a job, or at least a part-time one. It would get him off his feet, out of the house, and give him some money to supplement his mother's monthly allowance. He could have slapped himself with how obvious the solution was from the get go, but refrained lest Karasuba think him crazy.

"Minato, why do you look like you could slap yourself because you finally realized a painfully obvious answer to whatever was bugging you all this time?"

Speak of the devil.

"Oh, well..." he chuckled sheepishly. "I figured I should probably get a job. It would give me something to do and give me some spending money. Can't mooch off you forever, right?"

"I already told you it was fine, though." she replied. "Unless you've grown tired of me and are just trying to get away...?"

An almost imperceptible tensing in her shoulders and a tightening of the grip on her blade were all Minato needed in order to know this wasn't exactly a light-hearted question. Even so, he could almost feel a slight sense of pain and loneliness coming from his Sekirei somehow. He knew that his answer was of the utmost importance to her right now. With that in mind, he quickly drew Karasuba into a warm hug.

"I could never grow tired of you, Karasuba. I've been blessed to have you in my life these past few weeks, and I wouldn't want it any other way." He said softly into her ear. "I only want to be of some use around the house, that's all!"

"I-is that so?" she said with the slightest of hitches in her voice.

Karasuba had stiffened at first, but relaxed into his arms gradually the longer she spent in his embrace. Mustering up every ounce of his courage, he decided to take an uncharacteristically forward course of action. His lips met hers in a soft, chaste kiss that filled the living room with the light of her black wings as she returned his kiss and embrace. The very vaguest hints of a blush dusted her cheeks when they broke off.

"You are my Sekirei, and I am your Ashikabi. Now and forevermore, right?"

A quiet smile bloomed on Karasuba's lips.

"Now and forevermore."

* * *

In another part of town, a certain woman was approached by an unfamiliar face who told her he would be taking charge of her routine tuning for the foreseeable future. She wasn't particularly attached to the woman who normally performed her check-ups and tuning, so she only shrugged and went along with the man to the MBI labs. Besides, she reasoned, the woman had told her she only had about a couple of weeks left to go in the process and she could be released into Tokyo to find her Ashikabi! Her cheeks colored a bit just thinking about it, and the barest hints of a smile peeked out on her normally reserved face.

Lost in her pleasant daydream, she didn't notice that the man was leading her along a different path than the one she usually took to the tuning labs. By the time she realized, she found herself in a strange part of the labs she had never been to before.

"Ah... Excuse me, where are we?" she spoke up finally, tugging on the man's lab coat to grab his attention. She nearly leapt out of her skin when he whirled around, a furious snarl on his face for the briefest of moments before he forced an awkward smile onto his mouth.

"We're heading to my special lab, almost there."

She tilted her head in confusion, but shrugged and went along with it anyway. It did bother her though, the look on his face right when he turned around, but she simply assumed she had imagined it.

_"It must have been a trick of the light or something,"_ she reasoned.

True to his word, after a short minute or two more of walking, they finally arrived at a non-descript lab similar to the ones she had been in thus far. The man gestured at the table in the middle of the room, telling her to lie down. With a quiet nod, she did as told.

"Now, I'm going to step out for a second to prepare for your tuning. My assistants will help you get comfortable."

As he walked out, a snap of his fingers brought a couple of mousy-looking fellows scurrying into the room after him, full of a nervous hustle and bustle. They placed a strange mask over her mouth and told her to count to 10. This certainly was not what usually happened during her tunings.

"Ah... What is this for?" she asked curiously.

"D-don't worry, this is just to uh... check your lung capacity! Yes, just breath in deeply and count to ten for me."

"Ah... Okay. One, two, three, four –"

Slipping in and out of consciousness, she could barely make heads or tails of where she was or what she was doing. She couldn't remember why she was here, but her body felt drained of all energy. Her limbs felt like they weighed thousands of pounds more than usual. Distorted voices echoed around her, but she could barely tell where they were coming from.

"Final checks completed, ready to begin procedure."

"Sir, we've not yet received clearance from Dr. Sahashi yet."

"Tch. I don't need any fucking 'clearance' to do these adjustments, I'm the best fucking tuner in this goddamn company. If this goes according to my calculations, and it will, we will accelerate the tuning process far beyond the current standards. We proceed _now_, I don't need to wait for that bitch's approval."

"But sir, I really don't think –"

"You're not getting paid to fucking _think_, you're getting paid to fucking _do_. Or am I going to have to find another assistant smart enough to shut the _fuck_ up and do what they're fucking told?"

"... Beginning initial diagnostics, sir."

"That's what I fucking thought."

A bright light suddenly filled her vision, and then she could feel nothing but pain. It exploded behind her eyelids, pulverizing her brain and searing itself into every nook and cranny. She knew nothing, she felt nothing other than its claws gouging into her head.

"Sir, we're losing her! Vital signs are dropping!"

"Fuck! I'm so close, don't you fucking dare shut down now!"

She heard these words but she didn't have enough spare cognitive power to understand anything beyond the liquid fire pooling in her forehead. It burned white hot with its intensity. She wanted to scream, to lash out at whatever was causing it, but she couldn't even open her mouth or twitch her toes. The pain was beyond anything she had ever felt before.

"What the hell is going on in here? Shut it down, now!"

"Sahashi, you bitch, don't you interfere with my work!"

"I said shut it down, you've botched this up enough!"

Blessed peace replaced the pain, and with it finally came sweet unconsciousness.

She didn't know how long she was out for, but when she finally came to it was fully dark outside. She laid in bed, feeling the cool hospital linens on her bare skin and merely staring at the ceiling trying to make sense of where and when she was. A sudden low growl startled her and she jolted upright in bed, head whipping about trying to look for the source.

"So you're finally awake, you fucking piece of shit."

Bloodshot eyes stared back into her own from beyond the foot of her bed, sending a chill down her spine that wasn't entirely due to the air conditioning.

"It was supposed to be a fucking easy procedure." The voice was coming from a man slouched in a chair across from her hospital bed, a bottle of something clutched in his hand. The same man who had led her to the strange lab.

She could hardly find her voice to answer the sudden statement. "W-what?"

"But no, it all turned to shit. I don't understand, my calculations were perfect. I ran the fucking numbers myself." He took a swig from the bottle.

"Ah... I don't know what you're talking about."

"The problem clearly wasn't me, I was the rising star of this company. A few more months, and I was sure to take the head researcher position from that fucking bitch Sahashi." Another swig, a longer one this time that spilled out from around his lips and down the front of his shirt. "No, if the problem wasn't me or my calculations then there leaves only one fucking answer. You."

The man suddenly stood and slowly lurched his way towards her.

"You fucking bitch, this is all YOUR fault! You were destined to be a 'Scrapped Number' from the start, how could I have known?"

"Ah... I'm not a Scrapped Number, I'm normal..."

The man barked a harsh laugh, his grating tone driving its way into her sensitive ears and setting off a fresh wave of pain through her temples. She hastily tried to put as much distance between her and him, cowering against the backboard of the bed. Her hands frantically scrabbled for the call button but she dared not take her eyes off him.

"What a fucking joke. Sahashi said it herself, you're a 'Scrapped Number' now, you can never be winged by anyone."

She felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she froze up. No, that can't be, she thought wildly. The floor seemed to drop away beneath her. Tears silently streamed down her face. That was impossible, there was no way -

"I lost it all... I was fired from my fucking job, the entire division was too... Everyone hates me, they think it's my fault they all went down for my fuck up. No, it wasn't me, it was YOU. This is YOUR fault!" He smashed the bottle on the foot of the bed, holding up the jagged edges in the moonlight. "Now, you're gonna fucking pay."

With a savage roar, he lunged toward her in an attempt to slash her with the broken bottle. There was no time to think about the bombshell that man had just dropped on her. The world around her seemed to slow to a crawl as the adrenaline began to pump through her system. Heart pounding in her ears, she reached out a hand and channeled her innate powers toward her attacker. In the blink of an eye, she fired an icicle at the former researcher that speared him through the chest and stopped him in his tracks.

His eyes widened and he clutched at the spear of ice protruding from his body. "Y-you... fucking bitch..." he managed to spit out before he collapsed onto the bed.

She bit back a wave of nausea that swept through her. Taking several deep breaths to calm down, she desperately tried to regain her composure. If this man was right, there could be more people on their way to get their revenge on her. She needed to escape, to run away from MBI as fast as possible before anyone else showed up to try to kill her.

From her rare outings out with her usual tuner, she knew how bitterly cold the Tokyo nights could be in the wintertime. She needed some kind of clothes first, or she'd freeze to death. With a slight grimace, she pulled off the bloodstained lab coat of her assailant and pulled it on. The rest of it was unsalvageable so she would have to find shelter quickly, but it was certainly better than nothing. Running to the window, she realized the floor she was on wasn't that high up. She could easily jump out and make a run for it.

It was then that she noticed her reflection staring back at her. A bright red crest looked tattooed onto her forehead. With growing horror, she shakily reached up to touch it as tears flowed anew from her eyes. The man wasn't lying to her after all, her last tiny hope crushed. The stomping of feet echoing in the hallway snapped her out of her sorrow. There was no time to stand there and feel sorry for herself. She needed to escape, to live on regardless.

She formed another icicle in her hand and used it to smash the glass separating her from her freedom. Without looking back, she leaped out into the night air and hit the ground running.

* * *

"ARGH!" Minato screamed in frustration.

Job hunting was far more frustrating than he thought it would be. He had been roaming the streets of Tokyo, scouring every little shop and boutique for openings with little luck. It was growing late, and he didn't fancy the thought of coming home empty-handed. Realistically speaking, he really hadn't expected to land a part-time job on the first day of trying but it was still a blow to his pride. He was an incoming Tokyo U student, for crying out loud!

By the time it was dark outside, he decided to call it a day after the latest rejection. Maybe if he was lucky, Karasuba would be taking one of her usual naps when he got home and he wouldn't have to get teased for his lack of success. He wasn't sure what was worse, not being able to find a job or having to continue freeloading off of her until he did.

He heaved a heavy sigh of disappointment and slowly trudged his way back home. He debated on whether or not to take a detour through that park he and Karasuba passed through on their move-in hike. He really liked that particular one, full of trees and wide open spaces for picnics. Which reminded him, he had been planning on taking Karasuba on one soon but never really found a way to bring it up in conversation. The hustle and bustle of moving in and getting settled in had occupied most of their free time together for the first couple of weeks as they fiddled with room setups and furniture arrangement to get everything just right. When they finally did manage to do so, the lethargy of day to day life set in and he fell into the groove he was presently trying to get out of.

After a short while of walking, he eventually reached the park entrance.

_"I really should be getting home, but I might as well take this opportunity to scout out a nice place for us to have that picnic. Gotta get everything just right on the first try or Karasuba will never want to go on another one again!" _he thought to himself.

And with that, Minato strolled right in. The cool night air wasn't particularly biting, more refreshing than anything. Partly because of the warm scarf Karasuba insisted he buy when she looked through his bare-bones wardrobe. He was grateful, happy even that she cared enough about him to buy him things, but he couldn't quite shake the nagging sense of guilt he felt about it. Even up until now, he hadn't been able to buy her anything in return with his own money. Of course she told him he had done enough for her already as her Ashikabi, but his pride as a man and her pseudo-husband/boyfriend (was he allowed to call himself that?) demanded that he spoil his partner rotten. How else was he supposed to show her that he lo—

*wham*

As he sat up from his sprawled out position on the ground, he mentally beat himself over the head for his clumsy mistake. There he went again, getting lost in thought and not paying attention to where he was going. How many times had he tripped over or ran into things because of that already? What had he even tripped over this time anyway –

"Ah... Are you okay?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Looking up, he met the eyes of a young woman curled up on the bench in front of him. She had short brown hair, messily styled with a bright red tattoo on her forehead. He didn't mean to stare, but it seemed familiar to him for some reason. He blushed upon seeing she was wearing nothing but a lab coat for warmth, but embarrassment quickly turned to alarm when he noticed the dark bloodstains on it.

"I'm okay, but are you alright? You have bloodstains all over your coat, are you bleeding anywhere?" he asked worriedly.

"Ah... No injuries. This is not my blood."

"Oh, thank goodness." He heaved a sigh of relief. "But what are you doing in this park all by yourself, without any proper clothes on too?"

"I was running away. But running is pointless. I no longer have a purpose."

"Wait, what? Running away? From who? Do you need me to call the police?"

"I am a Scrapped Number."

"What does that mean?"

"I... can never be winged. I can never find my destined one."

Outwardly, her face did not change from its neutral expression but the pain and sorrow she must have felt was clear to Minato from her body language, from the look in her eyes. She must have been crushed when she found out the news. Wait, winged? That sounded like -

"Hold on, are you a Sekirei?"

"I was. Not now. I can never be a fully fledged one."

Minato's heart clenched in sympathy for her. He couldn't imagine life without Karasuba now that she had so forcefully stormed her way into his heart. If he had never been able to meet her, if she had never been winged... He couldn't even begin to fathom it. For this girl to never be able to experience that for herself? That was just too much, too unfair. He couldn't just leave her alone, not in this park by herself and certainly not while wearing _that_. Getting up onto the balls of his feet, he dusted himself off and met her eye to eye.

"I think first things first, we should get you out of this cold and into something warmer. I know this sounds incredibly suspicious, but... I have a Sekirei waiting for me at home. You might know her, her name is Karasuba."

Her eyes flickered with recognition, but he decided not to comment.

"Do you want to come with me? I live nearby, maybe she can help you out!" He reached out a hand to her.

She seemed to hesitate for a second before taking his hand. Hers was small in his, cold to the touch. Gently helping her up, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He did up the buttons for her to cover up the fact that she was only clad in a bloody lab coat. Fortunately for him, her, and his coat, the stains seemed thoroughly dry and hopefully wouldn't come off on it.

"What's your name? I'm Sahashi Minato."

"I am No. 07, please call me Akitsu."

* * *

Karasuba was beginning to get bored waiting at home all by herself. After Minato had left to go look for a job, she had quickly run out of things to do in order to pass the time. Exercising and napping could only entertain her for so long, and without Minato to observe or tease, she didn't really have anything better to do. Part of her was more than a little embarrassed to admit that he had wormed his way into her heart and she was growing more and more dependent on him in her day to day life.

Was it really so bad though? He was attentive, caring, and still knew when to back off to give her space. It was almost unreal how perfect of a lover he was, but he was the real deal. The only things she could find wrong about him were how wimpy he could be sometimes or how much of a blushing virgin he was around her more... vigorous teasing. He probably was a virgin, but that only meant she could take his chastity herself. A most intriguing prospect, to be sure.

*growl*

The rumbling of her stomach interrupted her thoughts, a light dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks. When would that Ashikabi of hers get home already? She was hungry and she didn't know how to cook without him around. She had tried a couple of times, but after cooking a mostly rare steak and almost starting a kitchen fire on separate occasions, Minato had insisted that she refrain from cooking without his direct supervision.

_"Really, who does that little human think he is anyway?"_ she thought to herself, a small smile coming to her face unbidden at the thought of him putting his foot down for once.

He rarely was forceful with her, so she had come to appreciate the few moments she riled him up enough to elicit such a reaction. Part of the fun of teasing him was to push him to the edge of his patience for those outbursts of power. She could honestly admit she found him incredibly more desirable when he did.

*growl*

She groaned aloud and flopped into a couch in their living room. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was nearly 7PM. What in the world was taking him so long? She was beginning to fret over him, why hadn't he come home yet?

_"He must have taken the opportunity to sneak away, I told you this would happen..." _the voice whispered in her mind.

No. She couldn't allow herself to think that way. He had promised before he left that he would come back by 6, didn't he? She had to trust her Ashikabi of all people. If that wasn't the case, then what if he had been attacked by enemy Sekirei? She hadn't been deactivated, so he obviously was still alive. But what if they had captured him and were holding him hostage? What if they were torturing him?

She got off the couch and began to pace frantically, a worried look on her face. She hated him for doing this to her, to make her so uncharacteristically worried about someone else. The last time she even gave a damn about someone else's well-being was _her_, and it wasn't to the extent that she was feeling for Minato. She hadn't felt this nervous or restless before either. She hated feeling this way, but she hated herself more for letting him go out by himself and putting them all in this situation in the first place. The former MBI Dog knew that the Sekirei Plan was under full swing, and soon the streets of Tokyo would be unsafe for a lone Ashikabi to be walking about if they weren't already. Especially at night.

Why oh why hadn't she gotten one of those stupid human cell phones when he had suggested it? If she had one, she could have just called or texted him by now and everything would have been solved without worry. Punching her palm in frustration, she resolved to get one for herself but more importantly, to never let him out of her sight again if she could help it. She never wanted to feel this way again.

A clattering at the door had her practically running to meet what was surely Minato finally getting home. Only a supreme force of will made her stop and take a deep breath before taking a more measured pace there. Oh, she was going to give him a piece of her mind and a tongue-lashing he was sure to never forget.

The doorknob turned and as the door swung open, Karasuba raised her trusty nodachi up to hit him over the head with it. She wasn't going to hit him very hard, only just enough to make it clear she was not happy with him.

"Minato, do you have any idea what time it is? What took –"

She froze mid-sentence and mid-swing upon seeing him standing there with a girl at his side. She was wearing what looked like his coat and not much else. So that was what was taking so long? She was waiting at home frantic with worry, and he had stopped to bring home some _strumpet_?

A wild rage filled her every being, a blazing inferno of hate ignited in her chest. A dull roaring filled her ears, and the all too familiar bloodlust demanded satiation.

_"HE BETRAYED YOUR TRUST, HE MUST DIE."_

The whispers were right, she had been betrayed by the man she trusted. How dare he –

Before she could even react, she felt Minato's arms wrap around her and hold her tight.

"Karasuba, I'm home."

"W-wha-what?" She immediately snapped out of her trance-like berserk state, rage replaced with uncharacteristic confused embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he said. "I was on my way home when I ran into Akitsu. She was practically naked and she looked like she was in deep trouble. I think you might know her, she's a Sekirei as well."

All of the fight had left her and she just felt incredible mental fatigue. Minato hadn't betrayed her, it was just his usual self not being able to resist helping other people. She could almost laugh with how foolish and ashamed she felt for doubting him. A gentle finger wiped under her eye and she realized with a start that she had shed a tear. How unusual.

"Oh no, I really did it now huh? I'm so sorry, Karasuba. You must have been so worried when I didn't get home on time. I'm so so sorry, please forgive me."

"Welcome home..." she said softly. How many more times would it be that he was going to have to comfort her like this? She didn't like showing this weakness in front of him, but it was... nice to be able to let her guard down like this sometimes.

"Ah... Pardon the intrusion." A soft-spoken voice said, startling the two of them in their intimate moment. Both had forgotten that Akitsu had been standing there the entire time.

"Ahaha, where are my manners?" Minato said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Akitsu. Please, come in. Make yourself at home, I'm going to run up and grab you some clothes to change into."

Minato scurried off and an awkward silence settled over the two Sekirei standing in the entry way. Karasuba eyed the new girl with suspicion. Knowing that she wasn't just any random tramp Minato had found on the streets but a Sekirei instead was not making her feel any more at ease. She supposed this moment was inevitable. It was entirely within the realm of possibility that Minato would wing multiple Sekirei. Given that she, a single digit, had reacted on her own to him, it was fairly obvious that he was a strong Ashikabi himself and more Sekirei would begin to react to him as well.

Knowing and accepting were two entirely different things, however. Was she jealous? She wasn't afraid to admit it, to herself at least. That rage she felt upon seeing them for the first time was proof enough of that. But if Minato had seen fit to bring this Akitsu girl home, she would have to grudgingly accept her. For now.

"Has he winged you yet?" she asked Akitsu aloud, breaking the silence.

"Ah... No," she replied, picking nervously at the collar of the coat she was wearing.

Karasuba heaved a sigh of equal parts relief and exasperation. Her emotions were running more wild than normal ever since she had been winged, probably because of the acclimation process for the Ashikabi-Sekirei bond. Some took to it better than others, and it seems like she wasn't one of the fortunate ones. The surprise entry of this Akitsu girl into her and Minato's lives was not helping things either.

"Well, you had better come in. Take a seat over there."

The two Sekirei walked into the living room and sat across from each other. The awkward silence settled over them once again. Karasuba studied the girl again. If she hadn't been winged yet, then it was only a matter of time until she was. It was a rare Sekirei who reacted to someone and changed their minds about it. After all, the attraction was on a genetic level, some might even say destined level. But what was that strange crest on her forehead? It looked almost exactly like a winged Sekirei's crest, but something was not quite right about it. The more she looked at it, the more unsettled it began to make her feel.

"Why do you have a Sekirei crest on your forehead?"

"Ah. It is proof that I am a Scrapped Number."

"What does that even mean?"

A look of deep sorrow flitted across the girl's previously impassive face before she reigned in her emotions. "I cannot be winged by anyone."

Damn. Now she felt a little guilty for treating her with such disdain. If what she said was true, and there was certainly no reason to lie about a condition of such magnitude, then she could never experience a true bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi. How pitiful. Karasuba could not imagine a life without Minato now that he had wormed his way into her heart, no matter how hard she had tried to lock him out of it. Where would she be if not for him? Who else but him would have accepted her for all her faults? But if she couldn't be winged...

"Why did you come home with my Minato if not to be winged by him then?" Karasuba asked. "What are your intentions?"

"Ah. Minato-sama saved me. He reached out to me when he had no reason to and saved me from the loneliness. I want to be his Sekirei, if not in name then in spirit."

"Sama?"

"Minato-sama saved me," Akitsu said again. "His kindness cannot be repaid."

"What are you talking about? From what you've told me, all he's done is walk you home and lend you his coat!"

"Ah. It is warm." Akitsu fingered the collar of the coat again, a blush on her face. "Minato-sama went out of his way to help me, he did not have to do so."

Karasuba sighed with exasperation. Leave it to Minato to unwittingly woo a girl with his bleeding heart and kindness alone. Really, the girl he had brought home was acting more like a love-sick puppy than anything. But she supposed when someone was thrown into the depths of despair like that girl had, Minato would have seemed like a true savior indeed.

"Sorry I took so long, everyone." Minato said as he came down the stairs with a bundle of clothes in his hands. "I grabbed one of my old long-sleeved t-shirts and a pair of shorts. I almost forgot where we had put everything, Karasuba!"

Akitsu took the offered bundle with a small bow. "Thank you, Minato-sama."

"W-what?" He looked taken aback by the sudden formal honorific. "Please, just Minato is fine."

"Ah. Okay, Minato-sama."

"..."

"Is there something wrong, Minato-sama?"

"...Nothing, nothing at all. Why don't you take a bath and get clean before you change? The bathroom is down the hall to your left."

"As you wish, Minato-sama." Akitsu bowed before heading toward the bathroom.

When the door closed, Minato could only sigh and hang his head in his hands. "What have I done?" He groaned.

"Apparently, you've brought home a stray." Karasuba deadpanned.

"What was I supposed to do? You should have seen her, she looked miserable all curled up on a bench with nothing on but a bloody lab coat! I couldn't just leave her alone by herself like that."

_"Yes, you could have easily just walked away."_ she thought to herself. Karasuba thought up a dozen things he could have done instead, none of which were particularly pleasant, but all were viable alternatives to adopting a stray Sekirei into their home. Still, voicing those suggestions might not be the best of things to say at a time like this. Even if she wanted to say it.

"Hm," she said instead.

"Do you think we can do anything about her... condition?"

"Probably not. She said she's a 'Scrapped Number,' but I didn't know it was even possible for something like that to happen to a Sekirei. Maybe MBI can do something, they were the ones responsible for tuning the Sekirei."

She wasn't a technician, nor did she really care for that kind of thing when she was employed by MBI. Honestly, she couldn't think of a single case of a Sekirei being scrapped and becoming unable to be winged. Karasuba doubted the MBI scientists could do anything about it or they wouldn't have put Akitsu in a situation where she panicked and fled. All of this was fairly obvious to anyone with half a brain, she didn't know why Minato was being so dense. Especially considering how mad she was right now. Didn't he realize he was on the top of her shit list? Instead of worrying about this random Sekirei, he should be worrying about how he was going to beg her for forgiveness!

After a short pause of awkward silence, Minato finally seemed to sense her displeasure by the expression on her face. He took a seat beside her and gently took her hand in his. He lightly rubbed her knuckles with his thumb in soothing circles, just the way she liked.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Karasuba. I should have phoned home or something when I realized I was going to be late."

"Who said I was worried about you?" she said in a huff, pulling her hand away from his and crossing her arms. "Don't be so full of yourself."

Minato lightly grabbed her shoulders and slowly rubbed her arms with his thumbs in the same soothing circles as earlier. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. How about we go on a picnic soon? It'll be great, we can go to that park near our house!"

Was he bribing her with food and attention to make up for this colossal blunder of his? The nerve of him, as if her mercy was so easily bought! Then again, Minato was a wonderful cook and he made the most delicious curry she had ever tasted.

"... Will you make curry?"

"As much as you can eat."

Her stomach chose that exact moment to remind her that she had been hungry this entire time, rumbling loudly like a car starting its engine. She quickly stamped down the blush that was threatening to bloom on her face.

Minato choked back a laugh at her expense, managing to simply smile at her instead. "Well I suppose I should get to cooking tonight's dinner for starters. It's a good thing we went grocery shopping yesterday, we've got another mouth to feed."

* * *

As the hot water of the shower poured down on her, Akitsu took the time to try to relax a little. She had been on edge, running on practically pure adrenaline since waking up from the waking nightmare of a procedure that left her unwingable. Thinking over the chain of events that led up to this moment, she came to the belated conclusion that she had been extremely, incredibly, remarkably, and supernaturally lucky for things to have turned out so well for her.

After leaping out of the window at the MBI hospital wing, she managed to make a beeline into the city without encountering a single person along the way - not one other enemy Sekirei, potential Ashikabi, or general ne'er-do-wells. If that wasn't enough, upon reaching a seemingly safe spot, she had promptly collapsed with exhaustion into a bench in the middle of an empty park. Considering her state of undress and general emotional distress, it was almost a miracle that the first person to find her was Minato-sama. And he had practically fallen into her lap. Things could have gone far, far worse for her if someone else had stumbled upon her unconscious body first. A chill ran down her spine despite the hot water bath at the thought of it.

_"Ah... Minato-sama..."_

Her thoughts then turned to her unlikely savior. To be honest, she was only a little mistrustful of him at first. What convinced her of his trustworthiness was the look in his eyes as he spoke to her. They were filled with a kindness and sincerity that no one could fake. He didn't have to take her into his home and offer his help, he could have easily taken advantage of her if he chose to. Weak with exhaustion, she had been in no condition to fight back at all. Pure survival instinct had powered her up until that point, forcing her to move her limbs on autopilot even just to get away. But when her legs finally gave out and her lungs felt like molten lava, her will to live drained away as she laid on that bench. She realized the futility of living continuously on the run from a faceless organization without even the benefit of clothes on her back or money to her name, choosing to give up instead.

It was Minato-sama's selflessness that saved her from that hell. It was his kindness that gave her the strength to keep on living, for the sake of somehow repaying that debt she owed him. Even if she could not wing herself to him, she would pledge her life to him to use as he saw fit. As she pictured his face in her mind's eye, she felt a sort of warmth in her chest that slowly grew in intensity the more she thought about him but also an intense migraine as well. It didn't matter if the crest on her forehead sent stabbing pain through her temples, that pain was well worth the price to pay for what she instinctively knew as the beginnings of a reaction to him.

_"But that was supposed to be impossible!"_

Her mind raced, confused, ecstatic, and in agony all at the same time.

That researcher told her that she was a Scrapped Number, doomed never to be winged by anyone. The crest on her forehead was proof enough of that, so how was it that she was reacting to her Minato-sama? She shut off the water, sinking to her knees as she clutched her hands to her pounding heart. The pain lanced through her head, but she refused to give into it. It was proof – twisted and perverted, but still proof nonetheless - that her feelings for Minato-sama were real and that there was a deeper significance to what had happened that day. Everything, from the procedure to the escape into the city, must have been fated to happen in order to bring her to that park to meet Minato-sama. Akitsu's mind spun with the possibility, the glimmer of hope that she could yet become whole with the help of the one causing such bittersweet agony in her. For the sake of that man, she would bear any pain if it meant even the slightest chance of becoming one with him.

She slumped against the wall, gasping for breath as she fought down a sudden wave of nausea. The Ice Sekirei forced herself to let go of the warmth building in her chest. She needed to get out of this shower and share what had happened with Minato-sama. Her life was in his hands now. Only he could decide if he wanted to take a chance on her or not, but that would never happen if she stayed paralyzed in here.

After shakily towel drying her body and hair as best she could, she put on the clothes Minato-sama had so graciously loaned her. Upon stepping out of the bathroom, a wave of delicious smell wafted into her nose and loudly reminded her body that she had not eaten for the entire day.

"Akitsu, you're just in time! I'm practically done with dinner. Could you please help Karasuba set the table? I just need to put the final touches on it and we can all eat. I'm sure you're as famished as we are!"

No. 07 put a hand on her rumbling stomach with an embarrassed nod, walking over to where the silver-haired Sekirei was laying out the silverware. It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to speak privately with Minato-sama after the meal. She could be patient a little while longer.

"Ah. Do you need help, No. 04?" Akitsu said hesitantly. The Black Sekirei's reputation was well-known to the flock at MBI. People would speak about her in hushed tones, and the tuners would use those few rumors circulating among the Sekirei to keep unruly Sekirei in line like she was some kind of boogeyman (or rather boogeywoman in this case). Meeting the actual woman in the flesh was something she rationally knew was bound to inevitably happen in the course of the Sekirei plan, but at the same time it wasn't exactly something she hoped to have happen sooner rather than later.

"Don't bother, I've just finished." Karasuba set the last spoon on the table and fixed her with a heavy stare.

Akitsu forced herself to meet her eyes with an unwavering stare of her own before Karasuba smirked and gestured for her to take a seat.

"So, Akitsu was it?" Karasuba sat down as well, folding her arms across her chest. "You seem to know who _I_ am, but you'll have to forgive me if I can't exactly say the same for you. I never really paid all too much attention to my erstwhile siblings outside of the ones who had the pleasure of working alongside me, you see. So, what number are you?"

"I am No. 07."

Karasuba quirked an eyebrow, mild surprise registering on her face. "Oh? A single digit, huh? You must be quite strong then."

"I am confident in my abilities." Akitsu said simply.

A burst of laughter escaped Karasuba's lips, a strangely unnerving sound to Akitsu's ears. It was less mirth and more predatory in nature. She had a faint shudder run through her body, but refused to back down or let herself get intimidated.

"Is that so? I'm going to have to see that for myself sometime."

Terse silence enveloped the two Sekirei until Karasuba abruptly cleared her throat.

"At any rate, if you're going to be a guest under this roof, there are a few rules you should be aware of."

"Ah. Alright."

"Firstly, Minato is the chief authority in this house. I'll tolerate no sass or disrespect from you."

"Understood."

"Second. If Minato is the executive branch, I am the judge, jury, and executioner of his will. As his first and only Sekirei, you will obey me like you would him."

"Ah, I- " Akitsu managed to get out before Karasuba continued on uninterrupted like she hadn't heard her.

"I don't know why he's taken a shine to you, but I will make this very clear so there are no misunderstandings – I don't feel the same way. You came out of the blue to interrupt my and Minato's happiness together and I do _not_ appreciate that in any way, shape, or form. Because Minato likes you, I will tolerate you because killing you would make Minato most unhappy."

Akitsu's blood ran cold, and any objections she might have had to the rules withered and died in her mouth before she had a chance to voice them. Being on the receiving end of No. 04's displeasure was terrifying. It took every ounce of emotional control she had to maintain a neutral expression rather than let the naked fear and growing sense of impending doom she felt screaming in her heart show on her face.

"Because you are unwinged, you have no real ties to my Ashikabi save for the ones you claim to hold for yourself. If I know Minato, and I do, he will naively believe this is more than enough to prove your loyalty. But that isn't nearly enough to satisfy _me_. I'll say this only once. If you betray Minato, I will end you. By the blade of my pledge, I swear I will hunt you down and wipe your miserable existence off the face of this planet with as much pain as I can extract from you before I allow you to die. Do I make myself clear?"

A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Akitsu's face, and the massive amount of killing intent Karasuba brought to full bear on her made it difficult to breathe. Still, it was the absurdity of Karasuba's insinuation that gave her enough strength to fire back. The very idea of her betraying Minato-sama was unthinkable – she would sooner kill herself than betray the man who had given her life new meaning, the man that had beyond all hope caused her to react with the possibility of becoming whole.

"I will _never_ betray Minato-sama."

"Good. For your sake, I hope I'll never have to test that resolve."

Just then, Minato walked out of the kitchen with 3 bowls of food in his hands, unwittingly breaking up the ominous atmosphere brewing.

"Everyone looked pretty hungry, myself included, so I went with something quick to make yet really filling. I hope you all like katsudon!" Minato said cheerfully, not noticing the slow relaxing of Akitsu's stony expression or the slight twitching of Karasuba's eyebrow.

"Ah. I like it."

"Smells good, Minato."

"Dig in!"

Silence once more filled the room, interrupted only by the clattering of chopsticks or crunching of the crispy pork cutlets.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting your conversation just now. I think it's really great that you two are getting along!"


	3. The First Time for Everything

Chapter 3: The First Time For Everything

* * *

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Minato felt like there was some kind of unspoken tension going on between Karasuba and Akitsu. He saw it in the way they would hold each other's gazes for longer than necessary, in the slightly brusque way Karasuba would address Akitsu, or the way Akitsu would flinch almost imperceptibly whenever Karasuba would brush by her. Whatever was going on, he was certain he wouldn't like it. Neither of them felt like talking either which frustrated him to no end, but he respected their privacy enough to refrain from prying. He could only hope that they worked it out sooner than later, especially if Akitsu were going to have an extended stay with them.

Until they could figure out what was going on with Akitsu and return her to normal, he didn't feel comfortable with letting her go out on her own. With no means to take care of herself, no job experience, or skills outside of her self-proclaimed proficiency in ice-wielding combat, Akitsu wouldn't last very long on the streets of Tokyo – especially considering that she was an unwinged Sekirei (scrapped status notwithstanding) in the midst of the mysterious Sekirei Plan.

No, it was probably better for everyone involved that she stay with them for the time being. Minato couldn't really figure out why Karasuba and Akitsu were so on edge with each other. From what he could gather, Akitsu might have had some history with Karasuba from the way she reacted when he had first brought up her name but Akitsu had quickly clarified that they had never met before. He assumed that meant Karasuba had quite the reputation preceding her, but neither Sekirei would tell him what for.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes in an attempt to finally fall asleep. It had been a fairly tiring day for him, and the pre-bedtime squabble between Karasuba and Akitsu hadn't made things any easier. Who knew Karasuba was so territorial?

[flashback]

After cleaning up dinner, Akitsu seemed like she had something she wanted to talk to him about, but she couldn't quite find an opportunity to speak to him in private because Karasuba had mysteriously interrupted them at every turn. Karasuba had taken it upon herself to show Akitsu around the house and making sure she got settled in, but as soon as Minato and Akitsu were alone together, Karasuba would be there to drop off some random item like a blanket or a pillow. The first couple of times Minato could brush off as coincidence but after she had swung by several times to ask if Akitsu had a toothbrush yet, he wasn't so sure. He had more than a sinking suspicion that his silver-haired Sekirei had ulterior motives.

Finally, after he had gotten ready for bed, Akitsu tapped him on the shoulder right as he was going into his room.

"Ah," Akitsu said in her usual tone. "Minato-sama, may I join you in your bedroom tonight? I would like to –"

"It's getting quite late, don't you think everyone?" Karasuba interjected, draping herself over Minato's shoulder with a yawn. "I think we can all agree that it's been a very long day, and I for one am quite tired. Shall we to bed, Minato?"

"Ah, but I—" Akitsu tried to peek out around Karasuba, who had deliberately positioned herself in front of Minato, with no luck.

"You still remember which room is yours, no?" The Black Sekirei asked pointedly.

"Yes, but—"

"Then _good night_, Akitsu. Whatever it is you need _can wait until morning_."

Akitsu suddenly paled before hanging her head in resignation.

"Ah. Yes. Good night, Minato-sama. Karasuba," she said before trudging off to one of her bedroom.

"Karasuba, what was that all about?" Minato asked finally. "I don't think—"

Whatever he had to say quickly disappeared into the ether as Karasuba grabbed him by the back of the head and planted a searing kiss on his lips. His eyes widened with shock as her tongue forced its way into his mouth. He tried to pull away, sputtering with confusion.

"K-Karasuba?! What are you—" was all he managed to get out before Karasuba reclaimed his lips and silenced his protests.

She forced her tongue back into his mouth as she tangled her fingers in his hair. Her free hand grasped at his clothing, at his collar. His own skin felt hot, like he was burning up in his own body. Minato felt himself grow dizzy with the combination of a lack of oxygen and his Sekirei's vigorous attack. There wasn't even enough cognizant thought left in his head for him to even consider reciprocating, to do anything else but be swept away into her pace. Weather the storm until it exhausted itself.

Karasuba backed him up until they both fell onto the bed with a dull thump. She pinned his hands above his head with her own, fully intent on showing just who was kissing who like it wasn't obvious enough. Finally breaking for air, she straddled his hips and held his face in her hands. She was surprisingly gentle, caressing the curve of his jaw with one finger.

"Did you really think you would be forgiven with just the promise of a picnic and curry?" she asked him with half-lidded eyes.

[end flashback]

By that point in their relationship, he should have grown used to Karasuba's dominant displays of affection but the more reserved part of him still remained as scandalized as ever at her forwardness.

After a few more incendiary make-out sessions, she had proclaimed him nearly 50% forgiven and curled up on his chest to go to sleep. If he was to be quite honest, he was torn between being surprised she had ended it there and being extremely disappointed that she had ended it there. He blushed and shook his head as gently as he could to avoid waking up Karasuba. It wasn't that he was some kind of tight-laced prude or some horny pervert either, for that matter. Karasuba was just very bipolar with her affection sometimes. There were days where it seemed like she wanted to jump his bones and there were other days where it seemed like a chaste kiss was all she was content with doing. She knew all too well what she was doing to him, and he felt like she enjoyed teasing the reactions out of him more than the physical pleasure she got from doing it.

Looking down on the silver-haired girl laying on his chest, he softly stroked her arm with the lightest touch of his thumb and gently pulled her closer to him. No matter how much she made him want to pull his hair out or how much she mercilessly teased him, Karasuba was a precious and irreplaceable part of his life now. Every night he thanked his lucky stars for having the chance to meet her, and this one was no exception.

"What's wrong, Minato?" Karasuba said groggily. "Do you need to pee or something? Go to sleep already."

Oops. He felt bad for keeping her awake, but he supposed now was as good a time as any to talk to her about what had happened earlier. Maybe he could convince her to be nicer to Akitsu while he was at it.

"I was just thinking about what happened earlier." he said softly. "Was there any... history between you and Akitsu?"

No. 04 tensed slightly, but said nothing. She only clung onto him tighter and burrowed deeper into the crook of his arm.

"Karasuba?"

"There isn't any history between us. I just don't like her."

"Why is that? She hasn't done anything to you, has she?"

The Black Sekirei suddenly rolled on top of him and straddled his waist, planting both of her hands on his chest. Her silver hair framed her face as she stared down at him with a fierce expression, all traces of sleepiness gone.

"Why did you have to bring her home, Minato?"

"Because she needed help, Karasuba. I couldn't just leave her alone, not in the condition I found her in."

"So are you going to bring home any random hussy who bats her eyes at you and tells you her sob story?"

"Of course not, but –"

"But what, Minato?" she said angrily. "Everything was perfectly fine until she came into our lives and ruined it all!"

"Akitsu may be a guest in our home, but that doesn't mean she's ruining anything."

"You don't get it, Minato! She's just a guest now, but soon she'll come to live here permanently and she'll start to take up all of your time. She's going to steal you away from me!" Her voice cracked slightly by the end.

"Is that what this is all about? Karasuba, no one is going to steal me away from you." He sat up and leaned against the headboard, taking both of her hands in his. "No matter who or what comes into my life, you are and will always be my first Sekirei. No one can take that from you – not Akitsu, not anyone. You will always be that much more special to me for it."

A long silence drifted between them as Karasuba seemed to think about his words. He hoped his sincerity could reach her, even with the uncanny emotional bond they shared.

"But what if I said I want you all to myself?" She asked finally, uncharacteristically hesitant.

He began to answer, but Karasuba put a single finger on his lips to silence him before her could say anything.

"I'm not like you, Minato. That fool heart of yours is too loving and selfless to abandon someone who's calling out to you in need, but I wouldn't be able to do the same. I only know how to be selfish and want you to myself. I only know how to be spiteful and want her to suffer for coming between us. I don't know how to be any other way."

He hugged her tightly and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, being as fallible as the rest of us. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think it's by relying on others and mutually helping one another cover our weaknesses that people can learn and grow."

Karasuba snorted softly and crossed her arms. "You're so cheesy, Minato."

"That's how I feel though! Just look at us, for example. I never would have been able to get myself more fit and in shape if it wasn't for your daily exercise routines with me. And I think you've definitely changed for the better since we met, you seem more happy and at peace now."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"No."

"Well, I've no reason to start now."

He could have waxed on and on about how beautiful Karasuba suddenly looked then with the moonlight illuminating her features, the lightest hints of a blush dancing on her pale skin. Instead, he planted another kiss on her forehead.

"Trust me, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'd never do anything to ruin what we have together."

She huffed at the look on his face and pinched his cheeks.

"Don't go making promises you can't keep. You're a strong Ashikabi, I can feel it through the bond we share. Other Sekirei will inevitably sense it too, and they will come flocking to you in droves to be winged."

"Isn't that a little bit of an exaggeration?"

"I'm certain that ice-wielding little–"

"Karasuba...!" Minato interrupted sternly.

"Ahem. _Akitsu _is reacting to you, I'm certain of it. If she, a so-called 'Scrapped Number' unable to be winged, is reacting then any other Sekirei will too. And knowing you, you'll probably be unable to turn them away." Karasuba smiled wryly.

While the prospect of a harem full of beautiful Sekirei had its own undeniable appeal, he didn't want to break the relationship he already had with his silver-haired girl. If Karasuba felt this strongly about one other person in their lives, how was she going to feel about more? Besides, she was more than enough for him. He was a monogamous man, not some kind of skirt-chasing lecher!

"If you want me to, I could do that. Turn them away, refuse to wing them." he said with a serious look on his face.

Karasuba looked stunned at his declaration but quickly schooled her features and bopped him lightly on the head.

"You dummy, haven't you been paying attention to anything I've said about the Sekirei reaction to his or her Ashikabi? It's something that cannot be denied. If a Sekirei reacts to someone, it is _highly_ unlikely that he or she will react to anyone else. Would you be willing to crush a Sekirei's entire hopes and dreams of becoming whole like that?"

"I—"

"And besides, we're currently embroiled in that Sekirei Plan of the madman who runs MBI, remember? You saw how Akitsu reacted to the news that she was a Scrapped Number. Any number of unsavory cretins and scumbags would love to get their hands on a defenseless Sekirei and forcefully wing them."

"Y-You can do that? Just... force a Sekirei to be winged against their will, even if they're not reacting to you?" Minato said, a look of mild horror on his face.

That was as horrible as rape, if not more so considering the nature of the bond created by the winging. It would be like a permanent enslavement by the person who violated your every fiber of being and ripped you away from the person who you truly loved. A shudder ran through his body at the thought of it.

Karasuba seemed to notice the thoughts running through his head and tried to send calming pulses through the bond. It was clumsy and clearly unpracticed, but Minato could feel the sincerity behind it. He smiled and sent a warm pulse of gratitude and appreciation of his own back through to her, punctuating it with a light kiss on her lips. Karasuba's wings flared out from her back, flapping once before disappearing just as quickly as they appeared.

"Yes, it can happen." she said aloud, a bit absentmindedly from the kiss she clearly didn't expect to get. "I wouldn't be surprised if it happened already to the weaker Sekirei out there."

"That's horrible," Minato replied, still a little unsettled. "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone."

"I may not like it one bit, but the fact of the matter is any Sekirei who reacts to you is probably better off here than fending for themselves out there. And another thing – the more Sekirei you wing, the stronger you'll get as an Ashikabi to say nothing of the obvious boost in combat strength of having more people to fight for you in this game. We'll have better odds of surviving that way."

The Black Sekirei gently pushed Minato down into a sleeping position and took up her usual spot curled up on his chest with a yawn.

"But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The game hasn't officially started yet, so there's no need to concern yourself with that nonsense. I'm the strongest there is, you know."

Minato chuckled quietly and pulled her closer to him. "That you are, Karasuba. That you are."

* * *

Coming awake in an unfamiliar room, Akitsu jolted upright with a slight panic thudding in her chest before she remembered where she was.

_"This is... Minato-sama's home."_

The all-too-familiar twinge of pain that came with thinking of her Minato-sama shot through her head, but she clung onto it for as long as she could bear before slumping back into bed. She resolved to finally speak with him today, no matter what. Whether he would accept her or not, whether he could do anything or not, she had to bet it all on him. There was no other option for her.

With an aptly icy determination in her veins, she freshened up to begin her day. As she brushed her teeth, she idly inspected her appearance in the mirror. Perhaps she could leverage her sex appeal with Minato-sama to get him to listen to her. From an objective standpoint, she was at least of passable beauty if the reactions of the various lab researchers at MBI were anything to go by. On top of that, she, like many of her fellow Sekirei, possessed larger than average breasts that were the object of attention for the human males and females alike. She spat out her toothpaste foam and delicately cupped her busom. Akitsu wondered if she should she do anything to emphasize them in order to seduce Minato-sama into compliance.

_"Is Minato-sama what they call a 'breast man'?" _

Biting back a grimace of pain, she tried to sift through her memories of him to recall any roving eyes on her chest or any attempt to brush up against her. To her slight disappointment, she couldn't remember a single moment. He had been the perfect gentleman with her through and through. It didn't seem like she could get any hints from Karasuba either - Minato-sama didn't do a single thing with her that those other men wished they could do with a "nice pair of tits" and the Black Sekirei was less endowed than she was.

Akitsu sighed in resignation and continued to wash her face, deciding to do nothing special with her appearance. She didn't have any other clothing with her besides what Minato-sama had loaned her last night, nor did she have any makeup to accentuate her features either. Appealing to him that way wasn't that great of an idea after all. Perhaps it was best to simply go as is and hope for the best.

Making her way downstairs, she found an empty home with no one present. Spotting a note on the refrigerator, she walked into the kitchen to read it.

_"Out exercising with Karasuba, will be home by 9AM. _

_-Minato_

_PS: If hungry, feel free to grab some fruit from the pantry. Will make breakfast when back."_

A stylized drawing of Minato-sama running with Karasuba accompanied the handwritten note. His handwriting was neat and clear, something that didn't exactly surprise her. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly 9AM and they were all due home any moment now. Minato-sama's cooking was rather good if yesterday was anything to go by, so she figured she would just wait for now.

As if on cue, Akitsu heard a jingling of keys at the door and walked over to greet them. The door swung open and she was met with the sight of a slightly pale Minato-sama looking shaky on his feet beside an amused Karasuba. Both were wearing matching exercise outfits, a plain t-shirt with black tapered running pants. The two of them kicked off their shoes, Minato-sama more sloppily than Karasuba, and walked into the living room.

"Ah. Welcome home." she said with a small bow.

"Good to be back, Akitsu." Minato-sama said breathily. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep or something?" Karasuba asked.

"No, I usually wake up at this time. Do you need any help, Minato-sama?" She was starting to feel a little alarmed at how dazed he looked.

"No no, just a little tired." he said as he flopped into the couch. "Karasuba's exercise regimen is still as tough as ever, I'll be fine with a little breather."

"At least you're improving, Minato. You managed to keep up with me slightly longer than last time!"

"Oh is that right? Huh, I hadn't noticed."

The gears began to turn in Akitsu's head. She wasn't particularly enthused by the idea of exercise, but if it allowed her to spend a little more time around Minato-sama then it was well worth the exertion. Besides, it would also give her an opportunity to show off a little around him and impress him with what she could do!

"Ah. Could I join you next time?"

"Sure, if it's okay with Karasuba." Minato-sama replied.

"Hmm," Karasuba said as she turned to eye Akitsu up and down. "You think you can keep up with us?"

"Yes."

"We'll see about that. I'm not going to baby you like I do Minato—"

"Hey!"

"Minato's just a human, but you're a Sekirei and a Single Digit at that. Shouldn't need a handicap, I should think."

"Ah. I will be fine." Akitsu's competitive spirit flared up but her expression remained carefully neutral as usual.

Karasuba simply smirked, a slight aura of approval filling her eyes. The two finally sat down, No. 04 beside Minato-sama and No. 07 across on the opposite couch. Karasuba once again leveled a steady stare at Akitsu, the latter meeting her gaze impassively. Minato-sama on the other hand simply leaned back on the couch with his eyes closed, oblivious to the power play unfolding in front of him.

Eventually, he sat up and stretched his arms.

"That's enough lazing about for now, time for breakfast. How's French toast sound?"

"Ah. I would like it."

Karasuba nodded her approval and Minato-sama left for the kitchen, leaving behind the two Sekirei to stew in awkward silence. The elder Sekirei was the first to break the oppressive atmosphere.

"So," she said as a clumsy attempt to break the ice. "How was your sleep last night?"

Akitsu was momentarily taken aback by the random question, but shrugged it off as an awkward attempt at small talk.

"It was satisfactory."

"I see."

Silence refilled the room with its almost smothering presence. Karasuba seemed to squirm slightly in her seat, obviously wanting to say something but unable to out and just say it. Finally, she crossed her arms and looked off to the side.

"Akitsu."

"Ah. Yes?" she replied curiously.

"I want to... apologize." The words spilled from her lips like soldiers on parade march. "For giving you a hard time yesterday."

Akitsu cocked her head slightly in surprise. She hadn't expected her to be remorseful of all things about what had happened yesterday.

"I spoke with Minato, and he made me realize I was being unfair with you."

Unfair was quite the understatement in her opinion, but who was she to nitpick an unexpected apology from the Black Sekirei of all people?

"I see. I accept your apology."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm only apologizing for my _behavior_ towards you. What I _said_ still applies." Karasuba leveled a hard stare at her. "Do you need a reminder?"

Now that was the Karasuba she knew better. The Black Sekirei's glare still sent a mild chill down her spine, but for the most part, it lacked the bite it had yesterday. Maybe she was sincere after all? It would have to be just another thing to thank Minato-sama for later.

"Ah. No. But I still stand by what I said before. I will never betray Minato-sama, that you can be assured of."

"Good."

Just then, Minato walked in with a tray full of French toast and sliced fruits.

"Breakfast is ready! Can you help me set the table?"

If Akitsu was the snorting type, she would have done so right then and there. Really, Minato-sama had either uncannily good timing or was incredibly oblivious to everything around him. Shrugging internally, she got up and grabbed the tray from him.

"Ah. Let me take that for you, Minato-sama."

Her fingers lightly brushed his, sending what felt like a painful jolt of electricity through her body. It took every ounce of self-restraint she had to not flinch and drop the tray. If the smallest of skin contact was enough to give her that kind of feeling, surely it meant she was reacting to him. She needed to speak to him, and soon.

Breakfast passed by in a daze as her mind was roaming elsewhere. She barely tasted the food she put in her mouth, nor remembered anything anyone was talking about over the sound of her thoughts reverberating in her mind. All she could think about was her reaction to Minato-sama, carefully skirting the line between the painful migraines and the warm sensation diffusing through her chest. The more she tried, the more a ringing in her ears slowly began to drown out even that, building in pitch and intensity until finally –

"Akitsu? Are you alright?"

The concerned voice of the man in question cut through the haze, snapping her back to reality. He sat across from her at the dining table, the two of them alone for the first time since they first met.

"You began to zone out during breakfast, Karasuba and I were getting worried about you. She just left to go buy some aspirin for you."

"Ah. I am okay," she replied, still in somewhat of a daze.

Minato-sama seemed to study her expression quietly, looking deep into her eyes. She felt herself flush before the migraine set back in, forcing her to break eye contact and look elsewhere. He frowned at her reaction.

"So..." He began awkwardly. "How was your sleep last night? Was everything to your liking?"

It seemed the expression "Like father, like son" could be rewritten to "Like Ashikabi, like Sekirei." Akitsu felt a small smile come unbidden to her lips.

"It was satisfactory. Everything was to my liking. Thank you for your kindness, Minato-sama."

"You know, you don't have to call me that." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't think I'm someone worthy of that much respect."

"Ah. On the contrary, I think Minato-sama is more than deserving of it."

Akitsu reached out hesitantly at first, but with a look of determination on her face, grasped his hand in hers.

"Minato-sama is the most important person to me." Akitsu said before she winced in pain and clutched at her head. Lances of agony ripped through her every fiber of being at the same rhythm as her pounding heartbeat.

"Akitsu?! What's wrong?" Minato panicked, leaping to his feet and running to her side.

"It hurts... Minato-sama. I've... never felt this before, not this strongly..." she grit out.

"Should I call for help?"

He made for the kitchen but she tugged on his arm as he turned, pulling the both of them to the floor. Akitsu crawled on top of him, straddling his waist. She put one hand on his chest to hold him down, the other gripping her hair by the roots in pain.

"No! Even though it hurts, hurts so much to be around you... I want this. Minato-sama, I think I'm... reacting to you."

"But I'm causing you pain!"

Tears streamed down her face. The pain was building to a near excruciating crescendo but she refused to back down. This was her moment, her opportunity to seize her destiny back from the cruel hands of fate. She shook her head and leaned down to touch their foreheads together, even as the torment grew ever stronger.

"Ah... The more I touch you... the more it hurts, but that means what I feel is real." Her voice had dropped to a whisper from the strain. It was taking everything she had to keep it together, to form coherent thoughts and words. "Will you kiss me, Minato-sama? Will you try to wing me, even though I know it probably won't amount to anything?"

Minato-sama nodded and sat up, pulling the both of them back until he leaned against a wall. He held her face in his hands and lightly placed his lips on hers. The room filled with light and a strange wind, but there were no wings to be seen. Her bitter, disappointed tears felt like they left icy streaks down her face. She made to break the kiss, having given up all hope, when she felt his hands clasp onto her face tighter, but without hurting her.

Akitsu suddenly began to hear whispers, fragments of thoughts and impressions, in her mind. Flashes of foreign emotion – indignation, sadness, distress – filled her mind.

_"How dare this world reject her desire to be winged?" _a voice echoed.

She felt Minato-sama deepen the kiss, refusing to let her go. The wind whipping around the room blew even faster than before, and a thin layer of frost began to cover every surface.

_"I won't give up on you, Akitsu!"_

The light and wind continued to grow in intensity until she felt something _click_ into place in her mind. She became acutely aware of his mind and body on hers, _inside_ her own. A pair of brilliant ice-blue wings burst from her back, filling the room with their bright glow. Akitsu finally pulled away for air, a look of wonder and shock on her face. She instinctively knew the crest on her forehead had disappeared, leaving no trace where it had once been.

"Ah, M-Minato-sama... I – "

"I think it worked, Akitsu." He said with a soft smile.

Akitsu leapt into his arms, giving him a bone-crunchingly tight hug. Tears continued to stream down her face, but she knew this time they were tears of joy.

"By the ice of my pledge, I swear to shatter your misfortunes, Ashikabi-sama. You are mine as I am yours, now and forevermore."

She took his lips with hers, giving him another passionate kiss to show her gratitude. Her newly gained wings sprouted from her back and flapped with the elation she felt soaring in her heart. The self-discipline and restraint she once prided herself on was thrown to the wind, she no longer cared about such petty things. All that mattered to her now was her Minato-sama, her one and only Ashikabi.

"Minato-sama, my body... It's so hot..." she gasped in between kisses. Taking his hand in hers, she placed it on her breast and made him squeeze, a soft moan of pleasure springing from her lips. "Minato-sama..."

"Ahem."

Like a bucket of freezing cold ice water was dumped on the both of them, Akitsu and her Minato-sama flinched and slowly turned to the source of the cough. Karasuba stood in the archway leading into the dining room, staring at them with a twitch in her eye and a plastic bag of medicine in her hand.

"It seems like whatever it is that was bothering you is fixed, huh?"

Akitsu blushed bright red but made no effort to get up from her position all over Minato-sama.

"Ah. Yes, I have been successfully winged." She sighed happily and pressed herself tighter to his body.

"Ehehe," Minato-sama laughed nervously, an awkward sound devoid of mirth and instead full of near-hysterical fear. "K-Karasuba! W-W-Welcome b-back!"

"WILL YOU TWO GET OFF EACH OTHER ALREADY?"

* * *

"Miya-tan, I think you should see this."

"Oh? What is it, Matsu?"

"MBI's databases just updated. It seems No. 07, the one you asked me to keep a tab on has been winged."

"What? I thought she was designated a 'Scrapped Number,' unable to be winged?"

"I thought so too, but her file says she's been winged by a... 'Sahashi Minato.'"

"Wait. Isn't that—"

"Yep. The same one who winged No. 04."

"I... see."

"I wonder what kind of man this Sahashi Minato is to be able to woo the Black Sekirei and wing the Unwingable? He must have convinced them with his strong, powerful masculinity..."

*perverted giggling*

"Oh yes, I can see it now. That prideful woman, refusing his advances at first but slowly falling in love with his quiet passion... Reduced to a mewling schoolgirl at the sight of his virile—"

*bonk*

"OW, Miya-tan~! That hurts...!"

"There will be no lustful thoughts or indecent acts in this Izumo Inn."

"You're no fun, Miya-tan... W-wait, p-put that down, I'll behave!"

"Hmph. See to it that you do."

"Yes, yes. No more lewd. _For now, ehehe..."_

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

*awkward squirming*

"You know, Miya-tan. It says in his file that Sahashi Minato and his Sekirei live practically right around the corner from us. You going to be okay with that woman living around here?"

"As long as she... _behaves_, I don't know why I shouldn't be. She lives there, I live here. I don't need to see her and she doesn't need to see me."

"Right, right. Just don't rip through the landscape if you do run into each other like you did the last time, I kinda like our neighborhood the way it is—"

*bonk*

"MIYA-TAN, THAT HURTS!"

* * *

After a week had passed since Akitsu's winging, Minato had resettled into a comfortable schedule with his two Sekirei. Apparently MBI kept tabs on the wingings of all the Sekirei, sending a care package to his doorstep the next day. In it were several sets of clothes, all of her personal belongings from her living quarters at MBI, and an MBI Black Card similar to Karasuba's. Eyebrows were raised when they found a duplicate set of certain... outfits with Karasuba's name on it, including a high school gym outfit of t-shirt and bloomers. The Black Sekirei gritted her teeth and smiled an eerie smile, but Minato found out later that she kept those outfits anyway after stumbling on them hidden in a corner of their shared closet.

The Ice Sekirei, for her part, proved to be extremely flexible. Having overcome one of the most crippling setbacks of her life, Akitsu was simply happy to be anywhere her Ashikabi was. Karasuba was incredibly irritated by how she insisted on clinging to Minato at every opportunity she got, but after a stern series of negotiations, both settled on a complicated schedule and set of rules for "appropriate behavior" that neither of them saw fit to let him in on. The only thing he knew for sure of it was that Akitsu had somehow convinced Karasuba to let her join them in bed at nights, a complicated sleeping arrangement that more often than not resulted in him waking up smothered by their breasts.

It was frankly exhausting for him to put up with their possessive antics at times, but he put up with it for their sakes. At least Karasuba's nightmares seemed to be decreasing in frequency since Akitsu's winging, something he attributed to the strengthening effect of multiple Sekirei bonds. It wasn't that he didn't like all of the attention a pair of beauties were lavishing on him, though. He just wanted his personal space sometimes, which was why he was lounging on his bed in a calm moment to himself.

"Oi! Minato, the show's about to start! You're going to miss it if you don't hurry up and get down here!" Karasuba yelled from downstairs.

"Be right there!"

Ever since they had purchased a TV at Karasuba's insistence, it became near sacred rule for the entire household to watch a show called "Tokyo Noir" together. It was a gritty police noir drama that was currently all the rage in Japan for its fantastic production values and excellent character-driven storylines. They had started watching the show out of curiosity, wanting to know of the buzz was justified or not. Tokyo Noir was just as good, if not better, than the hype.

He found it quite funny how each of his Sekirei had a different reason for enjoying the show. Karasuba liked it because of the bloody, no-holds barred fight choreography and the non-traditional lone wolf female lead protagonist. Akitsu on the other hand watched the romantic subplot between the female lead and her young rookie subordinate with starry eyes and bated breath. As for him, he just liked a good story and Tokyo Noir delivered on that end with gusto.

Quickly hopping off the bed, he made his way downstairs where his Sekirei were impatiently waiting for him on the couch.

"Took you long enough! You almost missed the cold open!" Karasuba shouted at him, no real ire in her voice.

"Ah. Minato-sama, quickly." Akitsu patted the spot beside her with a quiet urgency.

They had saved him a spot in between the two of them, Akitsu on the right and Karasuba on the left. Taking his designated spot, Minato was rapidly hugged by Akitsu who snuggled into his side and hugged his arm between her breasts. Karasuba grunted her now usual displeasure at seeing the Ice Sekirei's displays of affection, but simply laid her head down on his lap and grabbed his free hand in both of hers.

An outsider looking in probably would have choice words to say about the guy who managed to monopolize the attention of two girls the way Minato had, but it was a contented family of sorts that sat on the couch together.

One of the more iconic songs from the OST of the show began to play as Karasuba loudly shushed the room. Everyone's attention turned to the large screen where the camera panned over a shot of a car where the last episode had left off on the heroine, Kaneshima Minami, during a terse stakeout of a Yakuza-owned pachinko parlor.

_"All quiet on the radio channel, Kaneshima-senpai." Her partner, Yamamoto Ken, said quietly. "The bug we planted isn't picking up a thing, and it's been a couple of hours since we saw Yamori and his goons walk in there. What do you think is going on?"_

_"I don't like the look of this, Yamamoto." She replied, her brows furrowed in frustration as she took a long drag of her cigarette. "There was supposed to be a meeting between that bastard Yamori and his lieutenants tonight. It's been too quiet in there, I've got a bad feeling about this."_

_Just as the words left her mouth, a voice crackled over the comms channel they were monitoring._

_"I think we've kept our poor guests waiting in the cold long enough, wouldn't you agree, gentlemen?"_

_"Shit, they know!" Minami swore. "We've got to—"_

_The sound of gunshots rang out through the frosty night air as Yamori's henchmen sprang up from their hiding spots around the pachinko parlor and opened fire on Minami's car._

_"Get down!" She yelled, throwing an arm out and pressing her partner's head down even as she frantically turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, the car vibrating with its comforting hum as the situation turned to hell around them. Minami stomped on the gas pedal with all her might, willing the car to go as fast as it could as they sped away._

_"Aw, leaving so soon, Inspector Kaneshima? Next time, hide your toys better before you come to play." Yamori taunted over the radio._

_Minami looked over her shoulder to see two cars in rapid pursuit after them. Through the passenger windows on each car, a thug leaned out with a sidearm in hand and continued to open fire on them._

_"Fuck!"_

_"K-Kaneshima-senpai..." Ken wheezed, sending a chill down her spine. "I've... been hit..."_

_Minami could barely keep her eyes on the road as concern tore her attention from the escape to her wounded partner. He clutched a hand his side which shone wet with blood even in the flickering of the streetlights whipping past them._

_"Keep it together, Yamamoto! Don't you go dying on me, you son of a bitch! You still owe me a drink, goddamn it!"_

_She grabbed her pistol from its holster on her side and fired blindly at the pursuers behind them._

_"Yamamoto! Talk to me!"_

_"I... don't think I'm going to make it, Kaneshima-senpai..."_

_"Shut the fuck up, I haven't given you permission to quit yet!" Her eyes started to blur with unshed tears but she roughly swiped at them with the back of her arm._

_"K-Kaneshima-senpai... I—"_

Suddenly, the screen went black along with all of the lights in the house.

"Wait, what the hell?!" Karasuba leapt to her feet, snarling in frustration. "What just happened?!"

"Ah. I think the power went off." Akitsu noted with a rare displeasure thick in her voice.

Minato got up from the couch and looked outside the window. It seemed like the power for the entire city had gone out from the looks of it. Not a single light could be seen outside, Tokyo had been plunged into darkness. He pulled out his phone but there was no cell reception either. Scratching at his head in concern, he walked back to where Karasuba was stomping back and forth in anger. Her emotions, as well as those of Akitsu bubbled through the bond they shared, and he did his best to send soothing thoughts to try to calm them down.

"They were just getting to the good part! What was Ken going to say?!" I'm so goddamn pissed!"

"Now, now Karasuba. We can always rewind the show to where we left off, you always have the episodes recorded for emergencies like this, don't you?" Minato reached out and pulled her down into his arms on the couch. She fumed silently before releasing some of her tension with a huff.

"I know, but... it's still annoying..." Maybe it was a trick of his mind trying to fill in gaps in his vision from the darkness, but he could have sworn she was pouting.

"I'm sure the lights will come on again soon, we just have to—"

Minato paused mid-sentence as the power seemingly was restored. The TV turned itself on, but instead of Tokyo Noir, the familiar visage of a white-clad man filled the screen.

"Is that Minaka?"

Confusion filled the room from every person, Ashikabi and Sekirei alike. What in the world was going on?

"Greetings, salutations, and a good evening to you, people of Tokyo!" he boomed from the screen.

Minato reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone only to see Minaka's face there too, reflected in the phones of Karasuba and Akitsu who had pulled their own out as well. He turned back to the TV with apprehension roiling in the pit of his stomach.

"As many of you already know, I am Minaka Hiroto, president of Mid Bio Informatics! I am here to announce the commencement of a grand undertaking that has been nearly two decades in the making!"

"What is he talking about?" Minato wondered aloud.

He felt Akitsu reach out to grip his hand in hers tightly, her nervousness and unease filtering through the bond. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb in soothing circles.

"It is finally time for the Sekirei Plan to officially begin now that all 108 Sekirei have been freed in Tokyo. The rules are simple— Fight! Fight until there is only one left standing! The winner will be guided to the place of ascension where power, wealth, and the means to make your dreams come true await..."

"K-Karasuba," Minato said with confusion and mild fear in his heart. "I thought we were supposed to keep the Sekirei Plan a secret? He just went and announced its existence to all of Tokyo!"

"I... I don't know what's going on anymore. This wasn't part of the plan I was made aware of when I was still a part of MBI."

"Those lucky few of you who have already winged Sekirei and become Ashikabi have an edge over the competition, but don't go resting on your laurels just yet. ANYONE who wants to take part in the Sekirei Plan may do so if you just wing a Sekirei! I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope to see the winner soon!"

His image blinked out just as quickly as it had appeared. The screen went back to playing Tokyo Noir but no one had the desire to watch anymore, all unsettled by Minaka's announcement.

Looking around the room, Minato could tell by their expressions alone that his Sekirei felt just as disturbed by Minaka as he did. A surge of self-recrimination rushed through his heart – all he was doing by sitting around looking pensive and worrying about the future was just making himself and his Sekirei feel worse. The emotions he felt were reverberating through the bond like a negative feedback loop. There was only one course of action he felt they should take.

Pulling Karasuba and Akitsu in close, he gently kissed the tops of their heads.

"No matter what anyone says or does, I'm not going to be scared of this crazy Sekirei Plan." he said. "And you know why? Because I have two of the best, if not _the_ best Sekirei by my side."

Akitsu blushed and pecked him on the cheek, a self-satisfied smile on her face. Karasuba on the other hand snorted and let out a peal of laughter, caressing her Ashikabi's cheek with a light dusting of a blush and a smile of her own.

"Minato, have I told you how cheesy you are yet?" she said fondly.

Minato only held his Sekirei tighter.

"We're going to win this game. I won't let anyone hurt you two."

* * *

If Karasuba was being totally honest, the biggest reason she had been unsettled the night of Minaka's public unveiling of the Sekirei Plan was that it deviated from what she had been expecting.

She had been completely blindsided by the announcement, but in retrospect she should have known better than to trust the word of anyone. Her Ashikabi had proven to be an acceptable exception to that rule, with her sister-Sekirei by bond slowly making a case for herself as well, but to have been so foolish as to hold any expectation of a slimy human like Minaka of all people...? She was getting soft.

The Black Sekirei was definitely not one to sit around and cry over spilled milk however. In order to make up for it somewhat, she decided to step up her own training as well as that of Minato and Akitsu. Her general distaste for weakness aside, she was really doing it for her Ashikabi's own good too. If the Sekirei Plan was to be this public, a rapid escalation of conflict was more of an inevitability than possibility. He would be better prepared to face whatever may come his way if he just had the strength to defeat anything.

Karasuba had to grudgingly admit Akitsu had proven to be a decent sparring partner. It seemed her bravado wasn't just that, she had the skills to back it up as well. The Ice Sekirei wasn't able to beat her, but at least she put up a decent enough fight before going down. Still, if she was able to learn anything from their lessons, it only meant she would be better able to look after Minato in Karasuba's absence. That, and be a better challenge down the line. Multiple birds, one stone.

But regardless of their training, she felt infinitely more comfortable if she had Minato under her watchful eye at all times. Now that the Sekirei Plan had been opened to the entirety of Toyko, an attack could come at any time. The media outlets had already reported several minor skirmishes within the week after the announcement, and that figure was sure to rise as time went on.

Minato hadn't liked the idea of being followed around with his Sekirei as some kind of bodyguards but with even Akitsu agreeing with Karasuba, he had no choice but to give in.

Which brought them to their first foray outside since the announcement: grocery shopping.

_"Ugh."_

Karasuba hated shopping of any kind. She found it incredibly boring on most occasions and the only thing it accomplished was a waste of time. She didn't see the appeal of it outside the obvious practicality of buying necessary items. Minato on the other hand seemed to love the mundane, and this was no exception.

"Man, when was the last time we all went out together like this?" he said happily, a practical spring in his step as he walked despite the large bag of groceries in his arms.

"Probably never. Akitsu's only been here for a week, remember?" Karasuba deadpanned, two bags in each hand.

"Ah. I think so too." Akitsu said quietly, only two bags of her own nestled in her arms. Element users were so frail.

A light jingling accompanied her every step, probably from the curious outfit she had taken to wearing lately. She had on a white shirt with long, flowing sleeves in a similar make to a kimono with a very low V cut that showed off nearly a third of her breasts and stopped at her upper stomach. A black obi with a bow in the front held the shirt tightly against her body. She had chains in her ensemble, one set of which was used to bind her clothes together above her breasts, while another set looped around her neck and then went down between her cleavage. As if they weren't already big enough.

"So why'd we buy so much today anyway?"

"Well..." Minato trailed off sheepishly. "I kinda went overboard because there was a sale... But look, we got so much for really cheap too!"

"Hrm."

"Ah. Can we make curry tonight, Minato-sama?"

"Sure, I guess. It's funny how both of you love curry so much."

Karasuba huffed in slight embarrassment. She liked curry, yes, but only because Minato could make it so well. It wasn't like she wanted to be lumped in with Akitsu though.

"Karasuba, do you want beef curry or chicken katsu curry tonight? I'll let you decide."

"I think I'll go with—"

A loud bang interrupted her train of thought, a cloud of smoke filling the air and obscuring her vision. Screams rang out all around them as the innocent citizens fled the area in panic.

"Minato!" she shouted with a note of worry in her voice.

She reached out and grabbed him into her arms, mindful of all the groceries they were carrying. Karasuba leapt back with Minato in tow and Akitsu landed beside her, both of them scanning for threats.

"Well, well. Looks like we missed." A female voice said haughtily through the smoke and dust.

Once it settled, it revealed two people standing in front a crater in the middle of what used to be the sidewalk. One was male, a slim young man wearing a cape of all things. Underneath seemed to be a black top, wrist length gloves, and ankle length pants. The other was a female wearing a black dress with striped thigh length stockings and a choker around her neck. On the left side of her chest was a black stylized rose tattoo Karasuba found incredibly tacky.

"And who are you two supposed to be, some kind of scene-kid street performers?" Karasuba mocked. "I've seen more intimidating mannequins at a costume store."

"S-shut up! My name is Yashiro Itsuki and we're going to take you down, isn't that right, Amebane?!"

"..." The boy in question simply stared at Karasuba, not responding in the slightest.

"Amebane?"

"... Quiet, you pig. You're so noisy, just get out of my way already so I can fight No. 04 and No. 07."

Karasuba smiled predatorily, her blood singing with anticipation for a scrap. It had been far too long. This was just what the doctor ordered, sparring and exercise were a poor placebo for the thrill of combat.

"Akitsu, why don't you sit this one out for now and look after Minato for me? I can handle this trash by myself."

"Ah. Alright." Akitsu replied. She set her grocery bag down and took up a defensive position in front of Minato.

The Black Sekirei set her own bags of groceries down by Minato's feet as well. He looked worried, opening his mouth to presumably stop her from fighting but she put a dainty finger on his lips to silence him. She needed this fight more than she would care to admit, and she wasn't about to let his protests keep her from it. Besides, they had been challenged out of the blue. It wasn't like she had gone looking for trouble, trouble had apparently come looking for them.

"I'll be back before you know it."

Minato hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes as if in search of some kind of answer. Finally, he nodded his consent. Karasuba's smile grew wider and more fierce, ready to feed the hunger she had so desperately been suppressing all this time. Before she could go though, she felt a hand grasp hers tightly.

"Be safe, Karasuba." Minato said worriedly.

"Aren't I always?"

Grasping her nodachi by its lacquered scabbard, she turned to face her opponent.

"So, Amebane was it? Before we begin, what number are you? Common courtesy, you know."

Amebane smirked and dashed towards her with his fist cocked, a blur of motion to most but not to her trained eye. She had seen faster, this whelp was nothing special. He threw a punch she easily blocked with her scabbard. A shockwave marked the impact with whipping wind.

"I am No. 13, the one who will finally bring down the vaunted Karasuba! Prepare yourself!"

"Oh? 13 huh? Not too bad for my debut fight in this Sekirei Plan."

Karasuba pushed him back, sending him flying until he spun around and skidded to a stop on his feet. She made no effort to move from where she was standing.

"I'll tell you what. Since I'm such a nice senpai, I'll let you take the offense until I get bored."

"Shut up, you bitch! I don't need your charity, I'll end you now!"

He dashed forward again, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks Karasuba easily evaded using the barest minimum of effort. His attacks grew wilder and flew faster, but still was unable to make contact with her. She sighed with mild disappointment, it looked like the boy was all talk. The No. 04 Sekirei reached out and jabbed him in the gut with her scabbard, interrupting his string of combos and sending him flying head over heels in a spray of spit. He landed heavily in the wall of a building but, to his credit though, he bounced back up straight away.

"Stand still and fight me already, you coward!" he panted with exertion.

"You talk too much for someone who claims to be a big bad fighter. Maybe you wouldn't be so out of breath if you saved it for your fancy footwork."

"Fuck you! You too scared to fight with a real man for a change?"

Karasuba quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh please. I've faced 'real men' far better than you since before your balls dropped, kid."

Amebane flushed with rage and embarrassment from her taunts.

"You really think those _human_ soldiers and mercenaries you butchered over the years count as worthy opponents?"

A faint chill ran down her spine, and she whipped her head towards Minato who looked back at her in confusion. He wasn't supposed to know about her past, he wasn't allowed to be privy to that kind of information! A faint whistling alerted her to a flying kick that she just barely blocked in time, but still sent her skidding back several feet.

"You can't afford to take your eyes off me, you know!"

The boy grinned wildly and flew at her again, raining fist after fist on her guard. She was shaken, rattled by what he had said. She had worked so hard to leave that bloodstained life behind her, to keep Minato from ever finding out about the atrocities she had committed, and this punk had the audacity to just blurt it out off-handedly? She hastily threw up a block for the hammer fist he threw at her, sending her flying once again. She impacted a car parked on the side of the street with a crunch of metal and blaring alarms.

"Karasuba!" She heard Minato shout. She saw him try run to her side but he was held back by Akitsu.

"Ah, Minato-sama!" She gripped him tightly, not budging a single bit. "Stay back!"

"Heh, not so tough after all when you face someone who actually has the power to fight back, huh? So much for the Black Sekirei, guess I'm stronger than those unarmed civilians you murdered."

_"Kill him... Kill him for his insolence, KILL HIM!" _

The bloodlust screamed in her mind, filling her body with a surge of adrenaline. A flare of sinister malevolence exploded from the Black Sekirei, causing everyone around to flinch suddenly.

_"SILENCE HIM."_

She slowly got up from the wreckage of the car, a blank expression on her face. She could feel the concern and panic rolling off her Ashikabi in waves, but she shoved that part of her to the back of her mind. That was to be dealt with later, now... Now was the time for retribution. She had shown mercy before that whelp threw it back in her face. There would be no more second chances.

_"BUTCHER HIM."_

Karasuba drew her blade with a deliberate precision to her movement, a ringing as it left the sheath piercing through the air with all of the finality of the sound of an executioner grinding the axe. She held her nodachi out horizontally from her as she leisurely stalked her way toward Amebane. There was no need for haste like her mind demanded - death was coming and there was no way to stop it.

"Y-You think that's supposed to be scary? You must be losing your touch, monster!" The false bravado rang hollow in her ears. She practically smelled the blood in the water.

"A-Amebane... I don't like the look of this, we should get out of here." His Ashikabi trembled with the fear her Sekirei either was too oblivious to feel or too stupid to.

"Shut up, you pig! Can't you see I'm having the time of my life here? The fun's only just started!" He said as he dashed his way to Karasuba.

"Oh, yes it has." She said finally and blurred out of eyesight.

Amebane froze in his tracks, whipping his head around to try to catch sight of her. Fool.

"Get back here! Don't you turn tail and run now!" he yelled.

"999 left." She whispered into his ear from behind before she slashed his back with all of the deadly precision of a scalpel. There was no need to end it quite so soon, not after what he did. She wouldn't allow him the mercy of a swift death. Oh no, his would be exquisitely excruciating.

He hissed in pain, whirling about with a backhanded fist strike in an attempt to catch her off guard but he was much too slow, far too slow to catch her.

"998."

He turned to run, to try to create space between them, but a slash to the back of his left leg sent him tumbling as she cut just deep enough to wound.

"997. Where are you going? You said it yourself, the fun's just beginning."

A slash to his arm had him clutching it in pain, whimpering slightly. It was like music to her ears, the sweet sound of agony. She'd coax more out of him soon enough.

"996."

She left relatively shallow cuts on him like a painter laid strokes on canvas. Her blade was her brush, his blood was her paint, and he was to be her painting.

"995. Hurry, aren't you going to use your Norito? Go on, power up, make this last a little bit longer."

"Itsuki, you fucking sow! Get over here so I can use my Norito already!" He shouted hoarsely.

He limped his way over to where his Ashikabi stood nearly catatonic with shock. Amebane slapped her to knock her out of whatever daze she was in and quickly grasped her by the back of the head for a kiss. Bright wings sprouted from his back, and he looked renewed with a second wind of energy. Good.

"You're going to regret letting me use my Norito!" He dropped into a horse stance, hands held palms out at his side. "These are the palms of my pledge! By my bare hands, I will destroy the foes of my Ashikabi!"

A crackling aura flowed around him, sending spiderwebs of cracks throughout the concrete at his feet. He grinned cockily.

"Megafist!"

Jumping forward, this time much faster than before, his glowing fist was poised to strike. Karasuba couldn't help but sigh with disappointment, her anger starting to boil up inside of her.

"All that effort to power up with your Norito, and all you can do is rehash the same stale moves but faster? What a let down."

Quickly side-stepping his attack, she slammed the pommel of her nodachi into his skull, sending him crashing to the ground.

"994."

He writhed in pain, blood pooling from his nasty head wound. But it wasn't enough, he wasn't suffering nearly enough yet.

"993."

A faint roaring in her ears began to grow louder and louder. It drowned out everything around her with its pervasive echoing. She snarled with a burning fury. How was she supposed to enjoy this if she couldn't even hear the best part of it all? She would just have to cut deeper to make him scream louder until she was satisfied.

"992. Speak up, you little shit! I can hardly hear you."

Still nothing but that infernal roaring. Was it still growing even louder?

"991."

He didn't even have the courtesy of obliging her simple request? Fine. She would just have to get a little more creative with her bladework. A stab counted as a cut, didn't it? A wound is a wound, after all.

"990."

The roaring in her ears was starting to make Karasuba's head throb painfully. A searing migraine burned in her temples as she gripped her hair by the roots to alleviate the raw lancing. Still, she wasn't about to let some stupid headache keep her from her prize.

"989. I said scream, damn you!"

Had he stopped moving? He laid still in a thick pool of his own blood. It didn't seem like he was still conscious, and that was defeating the whole purpose of this exercise. That wouldn't do at all, how dare he fall asleep while she was trying to punish him? She sent a savage kick to his side, feeling a rib give way and jolting him back into consciousness. He hacked out a spray of blood from his mouth and rolled over, clutching his side. He moaned piteously.

But before she could swing her blade down for stroke 988, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist tightly. She twisted in its grasp, trying to free herself.

"...suba! Karasuba! Stop, please stop! It's over, just stop!"

The panicked voice of her Ashikabi cut through the haze in her brain and she snapped back into reality, her blade arm trembling just over Amebame's body. She slowly turned to face Minato, muted horror growing in her breast.

_"No... This wasn't supposed to happen this way, he wasn't supposed to find out about this..."_ An uncharacteristic fear pounded in her heart.

Tears openly poured down Minato's face as he reached a shaky hand of his own up to cup her face.

"Karasuba, come back to me."

Her arms dropped to her side like leaden weights but she still didn't release her grip on her bloody nodachi. She wasn't supposed to lose control like that, not from the stupid provocations of some brat fresh out of MBI's labs. Her knees went weak, threatening to give way under her own weight. Karasuba staggered suddenly but Minato hugged her tighter to his body, supporting her body with his own.

"Karasuba, it's over. You won, it's over." He murmured into her ear.

She watched with a distinct sense of detachment as Akitsu walked over to Amebane's body and reached out to feel for his pulse. She must have found one because she then flipped him on his back and tore his shirt open, revealing his Sekirei crest. Touching it with a single finger, she recited her incantation to deactivate him.

"Ice of my pledge, go forth and shatter the bond of this Sekirei."

The crest glowed faintly before fading away completely, his body laying completely still where it was. His Ashikabi screamed with a raw agony that pierced through the air. She ran towards him and cradled his head in her lap.

"No... no..." Karasuba heard her whisper brokenly. "Not like this..."

A wave of nausea rolled through Karasuba's body, she could feel the bile rising to her mouth. It wasn't that she felt remorse for prolonging Amebane's torture, not in the slightest. He deserved every second of his agony. She was repulsed by her own lack of self-control, by the fact that Minato gained an inkling about her bloodstained past. There was no doubt in her mind that he was disgusted, horrified even, by her now.

"Karasuba," Minato said softly. He rested his forehead on hers, still gently cupping her face with his hands. "Look at me."

She wanted to run, to flee before he could reject her. She thanked every spirit, every lucky star that her bloodlust had been satiated by Amebane's agony. She might have gone completely insane if she had to fight down its fury on top of her roiling emotions. She squirmed in his grasp until he pressed his lips against hers. Her wings burst from her back in a flare of black.

The raw emotion pouring from Minato flooded her mind through the bond, throwing out all of her self-doubt and fear. Instead, his acceptance and reassurance took their place.

"It's alright, Karasuba. It's going to be alright."

The sound of helicopters filled the air as MBI's personnel arrived on the scene.

"Let's go home."


	4. The Chance Encounter

Chapter 4 – The Chance Encounter

* * *

"Let's go home."

Minato practically felt the relief run through Karasuba's body at his words, and he had to hold on tighter to keep her from collapsing. He looked down to see her completely unconscious. She must be have been more exhausted than he thought she was from the fight, both mentally and physically. He knelt down slowly, gently easing her into a more comfortable sitting position and supporting her body with his own. He refused to take his arms off of her. She wasn't some kind of fragile china doll — the fight just now had demonstrated that handily — but the terror of seeing her fighting tooth and nail, of her going flying into the car, was still fresh in his mind.

The whole thing was a rollercoaster of emotions he wasn't ready for in the slightest. At first, he had felt nothing but confidence in his Sekirei's abilities. There was no reason to feel any other way, really. Karasuba had boasted that she was the strongest there was, and the way she fought in the opening minutes of the battle showed little reason to disprove it.

But by the end of the fight, he had to be honest — he was shocked to see Karasuba's display of brutality on her defeated opponent. Amebane seemed like a tough opponent to him, but she had systematically dismantled him throughout the fight and was in complete control until he had started taunting her. His silver-haired Sekirei must have gotten riled up by the enemy, becoming almost an entirely different person. The look on her face as she slowly laid cut after cut on Amebane's body, a mixture of rapture and something much darker, made his blood run cold.

What Amebane said to her had to have been the trigger of it all. Was Karasuba really a mass-murderer...? There was no way. She was _his_ Sekirei, he knew her better than anyone! _His_ Karasuba was a playful, flirtatious girl who teased him all the time over the silliest things. _His_ Karasuba loved his cooking, loved curling up in bed with him at night, loved when he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. His Karasuba couldn't be a butcher or whatever it was that liar had said... right?

He looked down at the worn out Sekirei in his arms, clutching her closer to his body. Whatever the case may be, this was certainly not the place to be lost in thought about it. Looking around the rubble strewn street, he saw Akitsu walking towards him from whatever she had done to Amebane's body. Even now, he could see his Ashikabi clutching his prone body, hear her agonized wailing. A chill ran down his spine at the sight of it.

"Akitsu? Akitsu, come here." He called out with a bit of fear and urgency in his voice. He wanted, no, needed to hold all of his Sekirei as if to reassure himself that they were both safe in his arms.

"Ah." She looked up at the sound of his body, a melancholy expression on her face. "Coming, Minato-sama."

As soon as she neared him, Minato reached out and pulled her down into a three-way embrace with himself and Karasuba. A look of surprise danced across her face before contentment replaced it. He tightened his hug, holding both Sekirei tight. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment, but he refused to cry. Not in front of his girls. He didn't know if he was capable of fending off any attackers in this state, but he was damn ready to lay his life on the line for his Sekirei. He didn't want them to see any more harm, not while he could still draw breath.

"Please don't worry me like that ever again." He kissed the tops of both of their heads. "I was so scared, so terrified."

Akitsu nestled deeper into his side, helping to support Karasuba at the same time. She sent reassuring pulses through the bond, filling him with her warmth both inside and out.

"Yes, Minato-sama..."

Feeling a surge of wind blow past him, he looked up to see the helicopters he had heard approaching earlier roar overhead. There were two in total, each painted black with the MBI logo emblazoned on their sides.

"CLEAR THE AREA," A voice boomed through a loudspeaker. " THIS IS NOW A RESTRICTED ZONE. I REPEAT: CLEAR THE AREA."

"We should get going then!" Minato shouted to make himself heard over the noise.

"Ah! Minato-sama, we have to wait! For MBI!" Akitsu shouted back.

"What?!"

He had no idea why they would need to wait for MBI, but if Akitsu insisted on it, he didn't have much other choice but comply. The look on her face was filled with trepidation however, the trauma she faced at the hands of MBI still raw in her memory. Minato gripped her shoulder with a reassuringly gentle squeeze.

"YOU CIVILIANS THERE, GET OUT OF HERE ALREADY."

Wait a second. He knew that voice. But it couldn't be...

The helicopters landed and crews of what looked like first-response medical workers leaped out of the bay doors, running for Amebane's body. A grey-haired woman in a laboratory coat and sunglasses was directing them as she exited the helicopter herself, barking out orders through her megaphone with an all-too-familiar authority that sent phantom shudders throughout his body. She turned to look at them, whipping off her sunglasses to squint in their direction.

"MINATO? THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, SON?"

"MOM?"

"WELL THIS IS CERTAINLY AWKWARD, ISN'T IT..." She deadpanned, her amplified voice ringing true over the whine of the helicopter blades. Scratching at her head with the clipboard she held in her other hand, she grimaced slightly.

Minato's mother slung her megaphone over her shoulder and pulled out a cigarette from her breast pocket, lighting it with a practiced flick of a lighter she produced from her sleeves. After signaling to the helicopters, one took off towards the MBI clock tower having quickly stabilized Amebane and bringing him aboard. The other simply powered down as its crew milled about waiting for further orders. Minato could only gape dumbfounded at his mother as she took a drag of her cigarette, having been struck entirely speechless at her presence.

"W-What are you doing here?!" he finally managed to sputter out.

"I could ask the same of you, son." She exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at the two girls he nervously clutched in his arms. The piercing look she gave made him pull them closer to his side. "According to the files, these must be your Sekirei."

"Sekirei? You know what Sekirei are?!"

"Of course I do, I'm the head researcher at MBI. I've been working with the lot of them for years. Why wouldn't I know what they are?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE A PHARMACIST!?"

"Technically, I said I was working at a pharmaceutical company. Which technically, MBI started as before becoming the massive conglomerate it is today. So technically, I never lied. More or less..." She took another long drag from her cigarette.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he groaned, feeling lightheaded and slightly ill all of a sudden.

"Ah!" Akitsu paled slightly and started rubbing soothing circles into his back.

Everything he had known about his mother... was a lie? Forget the technicalities, was everything else he thought he knew just false pretenses and half-truths too? It was almost too much to handle.

"D-does Yukari know about this?"

"Of course not, don't be silly. But she IS coming to Tokyo soon though. She's enrolled at Shindong Women's University now, you know."

Yukari was coming to Tokyo? Any thoughts of happiness or pride about his precious little sister's college acceptance was smothered by the raw concern and panic he felt about the news. The city wasn't a safe place to be anymore, why was she coming here now of all places of all times? A cold sweat broke out on Minato's brow.

"B-But Tokyo could turn into a warzone soon! Didn't you see the announcement?"

"What'd I just say about not being silly, huh? I told you, I'm the head researcher for MBI's Sekirei Project. I was _there_ when that crazy jackass made the damn announcement." His mom heaved a smoke-filled sigh. "I told him it was a stupid idea, but would he listen? Noooo. 'All part of the plan,' he says. 'It's more exciting this way...' Tch."

His mom had a tendency to ramble and go wildly off-topic when she was agitated, and she very clearly looked agitated. When she got into that kind of state, it was best to redirect her as best as possible. A sudden idea came to him. If the helicopters were here to administer first aid and evacuate defeated Sekirei (assuming that's what was going on, since both Amebane and Itsuki were whisked away), they might as well be productive with their time and help Karasuba. She was still unconscious and he was beginning to worry.

"Um, Mom?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I... hate to interrupt but could you take a look at Karasuba? She suddenly went unconscious and she hasn't woken up yet."

"Oh. Well, that's what we're here for." His mom waved at the remaining medical team waiting patiently on stand-by and they began running towards them.

"You'd better get out of the way."

He hesitated, not wanting to let go of Karasuba just yet. He trusted his mom, but not so much the strangers apparently working for her. It must have been written all over his face by the way Takami suddenly stroked his head, her hand surprisingly gentle.

"It'll be okay, let them do their work."

Picking her up, he personally laid Karasuba down on the sheet the medical team had prepared in the meantime. He brushed her bangs out of her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead before backing away. Grabbing Akitsu's hand, he walked to the side, far enough to be out of the way but close enough to keep a watchful eye on them. His mom laughed at his antics.

"So, you've managed to wing two Sekirei huh?"

"Err... yes." He said awkwardly. "It feels like they winged me, to be honest."

Which was entirely true. Karasuba had seized their first kiss (_his_ first kiss!), and Akitsu had quite literally pushed him down and crawled on top of him for hers.

Takami laughed again, almost choking on her cigarette.

"Oh I'm sure. Karasuba has always been headstrong to say the least, and Akitsu here can be surprisingly forward when she wants to be." she said affectionately. "I'm glad she found a good Ashikabi, especially after what happened."

Akitsu's hand clenched at his mom's words. A brief sensation of pain drifted through the bond, the memories of her escape undoubtedly coming back to mind at the reminder of it all, but he felt her quickly school her thoughts. He could easily sense the contentment and happiness that came to replace it.

"Ah. Yes, Minato-sama is a good Ashikabi. The best." Akitsu said straight-faced.

Takami looked at the way their hands held each other's tightly and narrowed her eyes at her son suddenly.

"I don't think I need to tell you to be... safe, now do I? I'm not ready for grandchildren just yet."

Minato blushed madly, his face burning with embarrassment at her implied words.

"Of course!"

"Ah. Minato-sama will take responsibility." Akitsu blushed demurely, closing her eyes no doubt at the thought of it as a happy smile danced across her lips.

Just then, a man from the medical team came running over with a clipboard in hand. He whispered discretely into Takami's ear and stood back, apparently waiting for instructions. His mom seemed to take a moment to consider what she just heard and nodded after a period of thought. The man saluted before turning around, shouting orders of his own to the team. They began packing up and moving their equipment back to the helicopter.

"Minato, Karasuba's fine. She just has some minor bumps and scrapes from her fight which we've gone ahead and bandaged up anyway. Other than that, she's just exhausted. Go home and have her rest up before any more strenuous activity, okay?"

"Got it. Thanks, mom."

"Don't mention it, son. Now unfortunately, MBI isn't allowed to do anything else outside of first aid for the... winning contestants. Can't have any favoritism and all that, so you'll have to get her home on your own. Luckily for you, there's another Sekirei to help out, eh?" She clapped him on the back, sending him a step forward with an oof.

"Right..."

The two of them headed over to Karasuba, Akitsu helping him to put her on his back. She bopped her fist on an open palm, apparently remembering something all of a sudden. The Ice Sekirei ran off and returned with the bags of groceries he had virtually forgotten all about in the commotion, surprisingly intact and undamaged. Minato had to bite back a snort of laughter.

"Take care of yourself, son," she said as she walked towards the helicopter.

The propellers span up again, filling the air once again with their roar. Giving one last wave goodbye, Takami boarded and slammed the door shut. Minato and his Sekirei stood and watched the helicopter lift off. Just as it was about to turn and fly away though, the door suddenly flew open and revealed his mom standing with her megaphone once again in hand.

"ONE LAST THING, DON'T TELL YUKARI ABOUT ANY OF THIS!"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

The first thing Karasuba noticed upon returning to consciousness was a strange wetness dabbing at her face. Almost without thinking, her hand struck with all of the speed of a coiled viper at the offending instrument. She cracked an eye open only to see herself clutching a startled Akitsu by the wrist.

"Ah! You're awake." She said simply.

For as short a time as she had been able to get to know her, Akitsu had proven herself to be remarkably level-headed and this was apparently no exception. Karasuba winced, partly due to the soreness in her body that decided to make itself known and partly due to her rough handling of her sister-bonded Sekirei. Old habits died hard.

"Sorry, Akitsu." she said with a sincerely apologetic tone as she sat up. "What happened?"

"We are back home. After you defeated No. 13 Amebane, you passed out. Minato-sama and I took you home, you've been unconscious since. He asked me to take care of you while he stepped out to buy medicine for you."

Karasuba stared blankly at Akitsu's straightforward answers. She really didn't know what else she was expecting from the Ice Sekirei.

"You suffered only minor injuries, comprising of small bumps and scrapes that have been taken care of for you."

Finally taking the time to look around her surroundings, she belatedly realized she was set up in the master bedroom she shared with Minato. She bit back a snarl of frustration. Peace was making her dull – the old Karasuba would have killed the pathetic mess she saw laying in bed. Everything from her reaction times to her standard operating procedure was growing rusty from disuse and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"How long have I been out?"

"Not long, only a few hours. It is almost dinnertime. Minato-sama made beef curry." Akitsu said, a small smile springing to her lips by the end. "I was asked to decide."

Well then.

"How's Minato? Did he get hurt in the crossfire?" She felt a belated twinge of guilt at not even asking about the girl who had taken the time to take care of her, even if Minato had asked her to. "Err... And are you alright?"

Akitsu cocked her head and looked askance at Karasuba.

"Minato-sama is alright. He did not get hurt in the crossfire. And I am alright as well, thank you for asking."

That certainly was good news. She had lost complete control over her bloodlust in her rage, and she feared she had lashed out at friend and foe alike. To find out she hadn't made a load fall off her conscience with relief. Still, what had he thought of her rampage? Of her torture of Amebane, of the snippets of truth about her past the damned whelp had let slip out from his mouth? She must have imagined the comforting pulses of acceptance she felt from him just before she lost consciousness. There was no way he could continue to love someone like her, not after that display.

"...Does he hate me?" She murmured softly aloud, more to herself than anything.

The words came out of her mouth before she even realized she had said them, and it shocked her greatly.

"Minato-sama?"

Akitsu was sharper-eared than she thought. It was too late to pretend to not have said anything, and she really wanted to know more than anything at the moment how her Ashikabi felt about her.

"Yeah." Karasuba swallowed thickly. "He must be disgusted with what he saw. I'm a monster, aren't I?"

She felt a cool hand silently take hers, and she looked at No. 07 in surprise. Akitsu scooted closer to her, sitting down by her side on the bed.

"Ah. Minato-sama does not hate you. He was very worried about you, he said so himself to me."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. He told me he was very scared for you during the fight, and I could feel it through the bond."

"But I..."

"Talk to him. Minato-sama is a very kind person, he will understand."

That was certainly true. Minato was probably the most easy-going and kind person she had ever met, but would he really be as accepting as Akitsu was making him out to be? There was only one way to find out, and Karasuba wasn't one to shy away from anything.

"Thanks... Akitsu."

The words rolled awkwardly off her tongue, but the sentiment was sincere. Gratitude was something she was wholly inexperienced with expressing, not really having much opportunity or reason to express it in the first place. Still, Akitsu had gone out of her way to comfort her in her own way. If having a sister-bonded was supposed to be like this, Karasuba supposed she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of sharing Minato.

Akitsu squeezed her hand in reply.

A short time later, the bedroom door cracked open slowly as Minato poked his head in. Seeing as how the occupants inside were all awake, he came in with a bowl of steaming hot rice congee, a glass of water, and what looked like aspirins atop a tray.

"Ah, I will leave you two alone."

Minato looked at Akitsu curiously, but she only rested her hand on his shoulder briefly before she left the room. As she closed the door, she nodded at Karasuba, perhaps encouraging her to talk to Minato in that peculiar roundabout way of hers.

"How are you feeling?" he said, setting the tray down on the bedside nightstand.

Minato sat down beside her, much like Akitsu did before him, and took both of her hands in his.

"I'm fine. A little more tired than I should be, but nothing I can't deal with."

"That's good. I'm glad you're alright. I was so worried about you during that fight..." he squeezed her hands lightly. "Is that how it's going to be from now on? Sekirei battles, I mean."

Karasuba took a moment to consider her answer. If she was to be entirely honest, she wasn't sure if she would fly off the handle like that again. A fight with her in complete control could be over in mere seconds but if she were to succumb to her bloodlust again, what happened to Amebane could be the mere tip of the iceberg.

"I... would hope not." She said finally.

It was the safest answer she could give him without outright lying or indulging in wistful thinking. Better not to make promises she couldn't keep.

"Good, good..." Minato looked satisfied with her answer as he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "Um... Karasuba, can I ask you a question?"

A sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. She knew what he was going to ask.

"Yes?"

"About what that Amebane guy said... He called you a killer, a murderer. What was he talking about? That's not true, is it?"

And there it was. Now was the moment of truth, the time for faith and trust. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't take it well.

"It is true. I've killed many people over the years, more than I could probably count."

"!"

Minato looked shocked, but she pressed on without giving him a chance to talk. Better to get it all out at once, like tearing off a band-aid instead of agonizing over it bit by bit.

"I'm exactly what he said. I'm a monster."

At that moment, Minato threw his arms around her and drew her into a comforting embrace. She stiffened out of surprise.

"M-Minato?"

"You're not a monster. You're my Karasuba."

A warm glow diffused through her chest, and a feeling of relief settled over her very soul. From anyone else, she would have taken offense to any supposed claim anyone had over her. But it was her Ashikabi who had uttered those words. He hadn't rejected her, he hadn't hated her, he hadn't chased her away. He still cared. Her eyes misted over, tears threatening to pour out but she refused to let herself cry.

He held her for what seemed like an eternity, time stretching on and on without end. She didn't care. She clutched at the back of his shirt like it was a life preserver thrown to keep her from drowning in a dark sea. In many ways, it was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He gently pulled away, cupping her cheek with one hand.

Karasuba hesitated. She wanted so dearly to say yes, to spill out her darkest secrets and share the burden of her sins with him, but the shadow of her bloodlust still held a powerful sway over her heart.

_"He may accept you now, but will he still say the same once he knows why you did what you did? Not because of some noble justification... but because you liked the slaughter, the feel of blood running down your face, the taste of fear in the air?"_

She didn't know. Maybe she didn't even want to know. It was a big enough risk to admit she had killed, that much alone could have broken anyone else. To even attempt to explain it all? No, that was too much to ask of her. Not yet, she wasn't ready yet.

"No," No. 07 said finally. "Not right now. In the future, maybe. But now, no."

To her surprise, her Ashikabi simply nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Then I won't press you about it. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I want you to feel comfortable about opening up to me, so I won't force you to do something you're uncomfortable about. I care about you, Karasuba. I always will."

_"How many times does it need to be said that it's only a matter of time before he realizes the enormity of your crimes? Before he comes to his senses and sees you for the monster you truly are?"_

Of course she knew her Ashikabi was only human. That everyone had their line in the sand, that no one was capable of infinite mercy. But for this blessed instance, she wanted to give into hope and just enjoy his loving embrace while it lasted.

"Thank you, Minato." she whispered.

* * *

If Akitsu was to be completely honest with herself, she was incredibly jealous of Karasuba's closeness to Minato-sama. Though it was a logical conclusion that Karasuba's longer relationship with Minato equated a deeper rapport of trust and intimacy, Akitsu couldn't help but wish she was the one pampered by their Ashikabi.

Minato-sama would never ever do anything to make Akitsu feel excluded, left out, or somehow lesser than Karasuba. He made it very clear from day one (and every day since then) that both of his Sekirei were near and dear to his heart, and that he cared for the both of them equally. Still, it was the little things that slipped out unconsciously that gave her pause. The looks he gave Karasuba when he thought no one was watching, the lingering touches he left on her arm, the way he smiled just so when she snuggled into him in a quiet moment together – it all spoke to a deeper bond between the two of them than the one between herself and Minato.

It wasn't like she resented them for it – quite the contrary. Akitsu saw it as more of a goal to strive towards rather than let the jealousy fester in her heart. Speaking logically, she knew it was only natural that they had a deeper bond just from being around each other for longer. There was no point in moping about things out of her control. She was just grateful to have met Minato-sama when she did, and she could probably never stop repaying him for his kindness. It was more than enough for her to have whatever affection he could give her. Still, even as a not-so-small part of her feared she would never be good enough for him, Akitsu was determined to be worthy of his attention, to never give him cause to regret taking her in.

It was for those reasons and more that Akitsu was happy she and her Minato-sama shared their own special moments that not even Karasuba did with him.

"Akitsu?"

"Ah. Please don't squirm, Minato-sama."

"Erm... You don't have to clean my ears for me, you know." Minato-sama said, fidgeting nervously from his spot lying on Akitsu's lap.

She didn't really know why he was so anxious about the procedure. She delicately wielded the ear-cleaning tool with steady hands, the little red puff ball on the end bobbing every so often as she worked. There was practically no risk of her poking too deep or scratching his inner ear. The Ice Sekirei knew for a fact that Karasuba would never offer to do something like this for him simply because Karasuba just lacked the delicate touch such a task demanded. It wasn't like she couldn't be delicate and precise with her hands – the way she wielded her nodachi was testament enough to that — she just wasn't delicate _enough_. This required a different kind of touch Karasuba probably couldn't use.

"A-Ahh, that tickles!"

"Please be still, Minato-sama."

"Sorry..."

It was rather relaxing for her to do this, and if the feelings of contentment and calmness from the bond (despite the steadily fading undercurrent of nervousness) were anything to go by, he felt the same way. She liked pampering her Ashikabi. Pausing only for him to flip over so she could clean his other ear, she worked patiently at her self-assigned undertaking.

"What are you two doing?" Karasuba asked as she came down the stairs.

"Ah. I am cleaning Minato-sama's ears."

"That so?" Karasuba laid down on the couch opposite them and propped her head up with one arm, a look of bemusement on her face. "Have I ever told you that you're very weird, Akitsu?"

"Ah." Akitsu took a moment to sift through her memories for any examples of that or related descriptions. "I do not think so."

"It was a rhetorical question, Akitsu."

She nodded and mentally logged the instance in her mind for later review. Social nuances like that were still so hard for her to grasp. There really was no substitute for experience in that regard, no matter how many guides and literature she read to alleviate her lack of familiarity. She almost had sarcasm down pat though.

"And for the record, this counts."

A comfortable silence settled on the room as Akitsu finished her cleaning. It seemed like Minato-sama had dozed off in the middle of it all, and she saw no reason to interrupt his little cat nap. She simply settled in more comfortably, lightly running a hand through his hair. Such quiet times were so precious to her. The happiness of spending time with her Ashikabi and her sister-bonded threatened to burst through her heart. She had come a long way from the nightmare of her departure from MBI and she hoped to never experience such a thing ever again.

Akitsu nearly dozed off herself before the ringing of Minato-sama's cell phone woke everyone up. He slowly got up with a yawn, pawing at his eyes to wipe the sand off them.

"Hello? Yasaka? Wow, it's been ages since I've heard from you! How have you been?"

Who was Yasaka? Even Karasuba raised a curious eyebrow at Minato-sama's sudden phone call, though she didn't get up from her spot on the couch. It wasn't often that he got any phone calls from anyone other than from his Sekirei or his younger sister, so she was understandably curious.

"So you're in the mizu shobai now? Why am I not surprised?"

A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye made her turn her head. Karasuba had bolted upright and was staring at their Ashikabi with an unreadable expression on her face. "Water trade" must have caught her attention too. If they weren't suspicious of the caller before, they definitely were now. Old acquaintance or not, Akitsu didn't particularly trust anyone who worked in that industry. From all she'd read about it, the people (mostly women) who wound up there were nothing but shady hedonist types, debtors, or drop-outs. She didn't want Minato-sama associating with any of them.

"Well, you were always super popular and charming in high school. It's a natural fit for you!"

So Yasaka was some kind of former classmate? Potentially even a childhood friend? If there was one thing Akitsu knew about these kinds of situations, it was that childhood friends were always the biggest rivals to the main love interests! This (most likely) girl, whoever she was, knew practically everything there is to know about Minato-sama – what he looked like as a child, his favorite foods to put in a bento, his most embarrassing moments, and more. They had a special and intimate understanding that, according to the sources she read, can only come from having known each other since earliest childhood. She had an edge over even Karasuba!

One look at No. 04's now stony expression and white-knuckled fists told her Karasuba had come to the same conclusion.

"No way, you're in Tokyo now? Hey, so am I! We should catch up some time."

Absolutely not! There was no way she was about to let him go meet this... girl anywhere! For all Akitsu knew, she was going to meet up with Minato-sama and remind him about some kind of long-forgotten childhood betrothal promise, then drag him off to get married in their hometown and have 2 babies together. At least! It was one thing to share him with her sister-bonded Sekirei, but for a human girl to come in and sweep him off his feet from right under their noses? Never!

She exchanged a glance with Karasuba. No words were spoken, but the sentiment was easily understood — Minato-sama was NOT leaving this house.

"Tonight?"

The two Sekirei froze up in growing horror. His next words seemed to echo dramatically in their ears.

"Sure, I think I should be free!"

No.

"Am I meeting you there then?"

No.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll get back to you ASAP after I make sure I'm available."

NO— Wait what?

"Alright, hope to see you soon!"

It felt like her mind went blank all of a sudden and her jaw hung slightly ajar. Did Minato-sama just...?

"Hey, Karasuba, Akitsu. My old friend Yasaka from my hometown just called, he wants to go out and catch up tonight. Is that okay with you two?"

Eh? Yasaka was a boy? Akitsu turned numbly to Karasuba, the same blank look on her face mirrored in the Black Sekirei's own. Had they really jumped to the wrong conclusion so easily?

"Are you two listening to me? Is something wrong?"

"Ah... Nothing." Akitsu said simply, still a bit guilty for doubting Minato-sama's intentions.

"Err... Yeah, sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Karasuba said, not quite looking him in the eye. "Could you repeat that?"

Minato-sama looked curiously at the two of them before continuing.

"Yes, well. Is it alright if I go out tonight? I haven't seen Yasaka in a while, but if you two don't want me to, I can stay home instead."

Uneasy guilt bubbled in her gut as she squirmed slightly in her seat. If she didn't feel bad about it before, she really did now. Minato-sama only had them in mind when he made decisions, and for him to essentially ask them for permission to go see his friend spoke leagues about how much he valued their opinions. Still, he would be going out into Tokyo alone, and at night no less. She couldn't help but feel worried about sending her Ashikabi off without any protection or anyone to watch over him.

"I don't know about this, Minato." Karasuba said, shaking her head slightly. "You'd be going off by yourself into Tokyo at night, that's a risky proposal. The Sekirei Plan is in full-swing, I don't like the idea of you going anywhere without one of us watching over you."

"I understand, but all of the skirmishes have gone down since... that day. No one's been eager to start any trouble since then, the streets are a lot safer these days too!"

Minato-sama did have a point. The fight between Karasuba and Amebane had been filmed by several bystanders and uploaded to the internet where it had quickly reached millions of views before being taken down by MBI. They were far too late to stop the images of the Black Sekirei's brutal dismantling of her enemy from spreading like wildfire. Ever since then, open Sekirei fighting in Tokyo had practically disappeared. The only Sekirei-related news in the media these days were the occasional report of a brief scuffle that never amounted to much of anything.

"Besides, it's not like I'm going to be alone. I'm going with Yasaka, remember? We can handle ourselves, and we'll just run if things get hairy."

It seemed like Minato-sama really wanted to go see his friend, and Akitsu didn't want to be the one to say no to him. He rarely asked for anything from them so she was even more reluctant to deny his rare request. She turned to Karasuba, deciding to defer the final say to her. The Black Sekirei seemed a little taken aback by the gesture, but she quickly shrugged it off and took a moment to decide.

"As much as I'd rather have you stay home where it's safe and sound, I can tell you really want to go meet your friend." Karasuba said finally. "You're an adult, you can make your own decisions. If you want to go, then go. I won't stop you."

"Karasuba, I—"

"It's alright. Besides, you're my— no, our Ashikabi." Karasuba turned and glanced at Akitsu with a smirk. "You're no weakling, you can take care of yourself at least until you can call for help."

Minato-sama grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I am running faster these days thanks to your training regimen, Karasuba."

"Ah. Just stay out of trouble, Minato-sama."

He laughed heartily, drawing Akitsu and Karasuba into his arms with a broad smile.

"I'll do my best!"

The Ice Sekirei blushed and snuggled deeper into his side. She didn't think she could ever get used to these kinds of displays of affection. They were just too wonderful for her not to cherish.

* * *

Adjusting his collar with a tug, Minato looked at himself in the mirror one last time.

"I think I should have let Karasuba and Akitsu convince me to buy more clothes the last time we went shopping together..."

He didn't have much to work with in his wardrobe, and what little he had was courtesy of several dedicated revamping attempts by his Sekirei. At the time, he felt embarrassed that he not only had to rely on them for money but also for fashion tips, but in retrospect he should have just let them dress him. It would have been a lot simpler.

But was his outfit really that bad? He had done his research online to see what the hip people were wearing to out for a night on the town, but a lot of it was too... "out-there" for his taste. Things like leather jackets or graphic tees weren't exactly his style, but it wasn't as if he had a huge selection of things to choose from either. Finally deciding to go simple, he threw on a simple grey blazer over a black v-neck and fitted black trousers. Maybe he was unconsciously inspired by a certain look he saw all the time to put it all together.

"If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn Karasuba picked out this exact outfit to match hers..." he muttered to himself.

Minato attempted to style his hair but his mess of long locks was determined to stay exactly that, despite his best efforts. Eventually giving up with a helpless shrug, he just grabbed his watch from the nightstand and headed downstairs. He paused mid-step down as he couldn't help but think he was either massively underdressed or overdressed for the occasion. Was he just over-thinking it? As the saying went, "The clothes make the man, but don't let them wear you." He supposed he was just lacking in the confidence necessary to pull off the outfit after all, and began to make his way back upstairs to change into something else before a low whistle startled him out of it.

"Well well, look who we have here. Who knew you cleaned up so well, Minato?"

Karasuba smirked at him and beckoned him to come down with an imperious wave of her fingers.

"Akitsu, come see our Ashikabi's grand entrance at the debutante ball." She said, equal parts mirth and

approval in her voice.

"Ah, coming."

The Ice Sekirei rounded the corner with her cell phone in one hand and a camera in the other. Minato flushed with embarrassment when he heard the clicking noises that signaled pictures being taken.

"Oh, send me those later, Akitsu."

"Okay."

His silver-haired Sekirei slowly circled him, not unlike the way a predator circles its prey on the hunt. As she eyed him up and down, he distinctly felt like a piece of meat on display. Or a prize being admired.

"I approve." She said with a grin as she straightened his collar. "So when are you supposed to be meeting this Yasaka fellow?"

Minato swallowed nervously before replying. Karasuba could be really scary sometimes.

"I'm supposed to meet him at Club Q at 9PM, he wants to show me the Tokyo nightlife because apparently I've been missing out this whole time."

Karasuba paused in her lint picking, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Club Q?"

"Ah. Nightlife?" Akitsu chimed in, her face set in its usual neutral expression but a distinct aura of suspicion floated around her and through the bond as well.

"Er... Yes."

The Black Sekirei narrowed her eyes and leveled a borderline glare at him. But just like that, she abruptly straightened up, brushed his shoulders off, and sauntered off to the couch where she sat down and propped her feet up.

"Well," she said over her shoulder as she walked away. "You're a big boy now, you can take care of yourself."

He had expected some kind of reaction between stern reprimand or angry protest, but casual dismissal was definitely not within either of those ranges.

"Huh?"

"Go on, you're going to be late." Karasuba turned on the TV with a press of the remote. "Let's stream something, Akitsu. I haven't seen a good action movie in a while."

As Minato slipped on his shoes, the Ice Sekirei stood patiently a little ways behind him. Taking one last moment to try to gauge her true feelings about the whole deal, he looked into her eyes only to see the neutral expression she usually wore. He hadn't really gotten the hang of reading her moods and emotions like he could Karasuba's yet, not necessarily because he hadn't gotten to know her as well but more because Akitsu was so good at hiding them.

Still, he reached out and rubbed her upper arm with a gentle hand, sending a pulse of affection through their bond.

"Are you going to be okay being home alone with Karasuba?"

"Ah, yes." She punctuated it with an affirmative nod. "We will watch a movie."

It was good to know his Sekirei were getting along well. They'd come a long way from that first night they interacted, giving him a little more peace of mind about leaving them behind as he went out on the town. They weren't children or anything – on the contrary, they were more than capable of handling themselves in a pinch. He just hadn't been separated from them since... well, meeting them.

Now that he thought about it, ever since he winged his Sekirei, Karasuba and then later Akitsu had both spent practically every waking moment by his side. It felt like so long ago that he had been a lonely student studying madly for university entrance exams in his tiny apartment, but it wasn't exactly a life he was missing at all. Still, maybe it was good that he was getting a chance to have some time to himself. Or rather, some time where both he and his Sekirei could do things without being so dependent on each other for a change.

"I'm off then, Akitsu."

The No. 07 Sekirei hesitated, looking like she had something to say. She slowly reached out with one hand, only to tense up slightly.

"Akitsu, hurry up!" Karasuba yelled suddenly from the living room. "I'm going to start the movie without you!"

As if galvanized by her sister-bonded Sekirei's shout, Akitsu set a determined look on her face and stepped forward. She drew him into a tight embrace, snuggling into his chest.

"Ah. Have fun, Minato-sama."

No. 07 smiled softly up at him, then stole a kiss in a surge of daring courage. The entryway filled with a snowy blue light as her wings burst from her back then faded when she finally pulled away with a deep blush on her face.

A similar shade covered his cheeks as he couldn't help but grin back at her. He playfully shooed her off, knowing how impatient Karasuba could get. He could hear Karasuba's shouting even as he closed the door.

"What took you so long? Wait, why are you blushing? You sly girl, you snuck a kiss from Minato while I wasn't looking, didn't you?!"

...

"CHEERS!"

Minato hastily knocked back his drink just as Yasaka slapped him on the back with approval.

"That's the way to do it! I knew you could hang with the big boys, Minato!"

He winced a bit at the blow. Yasaka had always been a loud, boisterous person but all of the alcohol in him was amplifying it to near overbearing levels of friendliness.

"But really, I'm glad you could make it out tonight! It's been far too long since we last hung out, and I fully intend to make up for lost time." Yasaka passed him another drink. "Now, let's finish this round of drinks and head out to ANZU! One of my senpai from the host club I work at has connections, he's getting us in if we meet him there."

Minato looked at the offered glass of sake with a wary and weary eye. He wasn't really that big of a drinker. The majority of his experience was a couple of beers at the occasional karaoke mixers, and even then he had merely pretended to sip at them to avoid offending anyone who might have been paying attention. Still, with Yasaka's eagle-eyed determination to get him sufficiently "pre-gamed" enough for the night, Minato couldn't do anything but smile weakly and drain the shot with a burp.

Yasaka guffawed at the semi-miserable grimace on Minato's face, patting him on the back with more mighty blows.

"There there, Minato! We'll wipe that frown off your face soon enough. ANZU is one of the most exclusive nightclubs in Tokyo, you'll be able to take your pick of the finest beauties in the city! Maybe you'll get lucky tonight eh?"

"Erm, actually I..." Minato began before abruptly closing his mouth.

He couldn't very well tell his friend that he was already living with a pair of beauties, the most beautiful in the city in his humble opinion. He'd never hear the end of it, and, even though the Sekirei Plan wasn't a secret anymore these days, it was definitely more prudent not to involve people in it willy-nilly by freely talking about Sekirei.

"You say something, Minato?"

"Nope. Let's get going!"

With the loud, boisterous laugh Minato had begun to be more intimately reacquainted with, Yasaka threw his arm around Minato's shoulder and practically dragged him out of Club Q. By this point, Minato realized he was decidedly tipsy but simply went with Yasaka's larger-than-life flow. Before he realized it, they were standing outside a booming nightclub with a massive line to get in wrapped around the block further than the eye could see.

"Here we are, Minato!" Yasaka boomed, more than a little drunk himself. "ANZU!"

Minato had to admit, ANZU was an impressive club from the outside appearance alone. He couldn't help but gawk a bit at the sheer size of its multi-storied building, never had he seen such an entire building dedicated to clubbing. Not that he really went clubbing that often, but the point still stood in his tipsy mind. A long-haired figure standing outside by the VIP entrance line seemed to recognize them, raising an arm in greeting.

"Oiiiiiii! Kagari-senpai!" Yasaka yelled, dragging Minato behind him. "Good to see you!"

Tripping over his feet due to his intoxication and general clumsiness, Minato felt himself land face first into the arms of Yasaka's senpai. Looking up into his deep brown eyes, the first thing that Minato noticed was his dark grey hair. An odd color to be sure, but even his Karasuba had a similar shade, though his was much darker in comparison. Kagari was sharply dressed in a fine suit and dress shirt, far more expensive-looking than anything he owned. The second thing he noticed was how handsome Kagari was in a prototypical androgynous bishonen kind of way.

"Are you alright?" Kagari asked dryly.

Minato pulled himself off Yasaka's senpai with a deep blush on his face, but no one could tell for sure whether it was from embarrassment or the alcohol.

"Yep, yep, yep, yep. Peeeeerfectly fine. Kagari-san right? I'm Minato, nice to meetcha." He punctuated it with a jaunty little salute.

Kagari cocked an eyebrow, turning to Yasaka with a bemused smirk.

"You sure he's going to be alright? He might get kicked out if he's too drunk."

"No no, he's perfectly fine. Just a little buzzed, senpai. He'll be okay."

"If you say so."

"Hi hi, I'm Minato!"

"MINATO! GET OVER HERE!"

He was very excited to get inside.

* * *

There was no other way to put it. Sahashi was drunk out of his mind. All of the drinks Yasaka made him take throughout the night had finally caught up with him, and it looked like he could hardly see straight let alone walk without stumbling, but somehow he had managed to avoid making a complete fool of himself. Somewhat.

"Sahashi-san, would you mind getting off my arm?"

"Ohoho, but Kagari-shan... It's shuch a nish arm." the inebriated youth slurred out. "Don't be sho shelfish..."

Kagari palmed his face in mild frustration. It wasn't like he was unused to dealing with overly-affectionate drunks – on the contrary, it was almost an implicit part of his job description as a host. But to have a man cling to him rather than a woman was definitely something that didn't happen every day. A small heat, probably due to all of the alcohol he had drank himself, smoldered under his skin wherever the Sahashi boy touched him. Shaking his head, he gently extricated his poor arm from Sahashi's grasp.

Where had that damn Yasaka gone off to? He had left him behind to take care of his friend while he was doing who-knows-what in the club. Only his keen sense of responsibility kept him from leaving Sahashi to his own devices, choosing to pull him into one of the quieter lounges so he could try and sober up a bit. But still, "Kagari" was one of the finest hosts in the whole city, not some kind of babysitter for kids who can't hold their liquor!

"Aww... Jou're no fun, Kagari-shan. Jou're ackshually quite warm and coshy to be around, did jou know that? Like a big fluffy blanket of snuggly."

He quirked a curious eyebrow as he regarded the drunk boy sitting next to him.

"Is that so? I get that a lot. Not in as many words, but the general sentiment at least."

Sahashi seemed to sway in his seat to some kind of rhythm heard only by him, ignoring the pounding bass of ANZU's expensive sound system. The poor boy honestly looked out of his element all night, even before the alcohol kicked in. After his initial hyperactive period passed, he seemed to just awkwardly follow along with his and Yasaka's lead. He didn't really make too much of an effort to go talk to or dance with the girls in the lounges he was dragged to or the dance floor he was quite literally pushed on.

Kagari was willing to bet his savings that this whole thing had been Yasaka's idea from the get-go and Sahashi just went with it.

"I'm shorry, wusshat shtupid to shay? Pleash don't be mad at me, I shink I'm jesh a little drunk right now."

"'A little drunk' is an understatement, Sahashi-san." Kagari chortled.

"I don't really drink zhat often, Kagari-shan. Zhis kind of shene ishn't really my kind of shing."

"You don't say?"

"Jesh." Sahashi said with an attempt at a serious look on his face that only made him look oddly adorable in his drunken state.

Wait, adorable?

"Shankyu for taking care of me, Kagari-shan. I could have been a LOT worsh off wishout jou, and 'Shuba-chan wouldn't be very happy with me if I came home like a messh. Or Kitshu-chan for zhat madder."

"'Shuba-chan and Kitshu-chan?"

Sahashi seemed to perk up at the mention of these people, practically vibrating in his seat with an infectiously giddy kind of happiness.

"Jesh! 'Shuba-chan and 'Kitshu-chan are da besh. Jush da besh. Zhere sho pretty, and shtrong, and cool, and shuper tough, but zhey can be real GOOFS shometimesh." Sahashi looked around conspiratorially before leaning in close to whisper in his ear. "Don't tell zhem I shaid zhat, Kagari-shan."

He could feel himself flush brightly even in the low light of the club at the intimate tickle of Sahashi's breath in his ear. Was he... hitting on him? No, surely not. Sahashi wasn't slick enough to do that kind of thing, nor was he into guys. Right?

"I think you've had enough for one night, you should probably get going soon." He paused to reconsider. "Now would be better actually."

Kagari didn't actually mean to sound so callous, but sometimes you had to be a little blunt with drunk people.

"Oh, okay. Ish getting pretty late anywaysh, I dun want 'Shuba-chan or 'Kitshu-chan to get mad at me."

"Can you get home on your own?"

"Jesh." Sahashi tried to get up but immediately plopped back on his butt with a drunken pout on his face. "Or not."

Kagari sighed and mentally made a note to really tear Yasaka a new one the next time he saw him.

"Where do you live?" He asked, pulling Sahashi up and bracing him with his own body. Sahashi leaned heavily on him, taking slow and careful steps as they headed out to the streets. He seemed to take a moment to consider the question and tilted his head with a contemplative look.

"I live in zhe norsh part of Tokyo, near de big park with all zhe fun benches and zhe cool lake."

"Huh."

That was actually quite near his own place at the Izumo Inn. He glanced at his watch, squinting a bit to make out the hands ticking away in the dim light. Sahashi was right about it being rather late. He might as well call it a night as well and look for a taxi. It would be the most economical option too.

After an awkward shuffling back and forth where he had to somehow hold onto a slumped over Sahashi and try to open the taxi door, Kagari managed to get the both of them inside safe and sound. Prying his address out of him was another story however, but he did the thankless job regardless.

"Kagari-shan, I'm sho shorry about all zhish." The drunken Sahashi slurred out, once again clinging to his arm.

"Don't worry about it, Sahashi-san. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

Which was debatable, seeing as how the two of them were practical strangers up until that point with the only shared relationship being that damned Yasaka. Oh, that little punk was going to get it in the morning when he turned up for work.

"Jesh, of coursh!" Sahashi patted himself on the chest with a sloppy grin. "A Sahashi Minato alwaysh repaysh hish debtsh."

That was reassuring to hear, Kagari supposed. He wasn't quite sure if he'd ever see him again, but when they were all sober, he'd be sure to tease him mercilessly about it.

Wait, what? That was another odd thought to add to the growing collection he was making tonight. It wasn't like he was trying to think awkward things about some strange guy he literally just met. They were just... happening. Besides, he didn't swing that way, and he was definitely still attracted to the fairer sex. He wouldn't be working at a host looking for the right woman to come in otherwise!

"Um, Kagari-shan...?" Sahashi slurred out, a bit of hesitation seeping through his intoxication. That, or sleepiness.

"Yes?"

"Hash anyone ever told you zhat jour very warm before?"

There he went again.

"Yes. In fact, you already told me that tonight." He said with as much patience as he could muster, which was fairly considerable in his opinion if you took everything into account.

"Ish 'at zho? Good, good." Sahashi burrowed in deeper into Kagari's side, drawing a flustered yelp from the latter. "I wish I could keep jou, 'Shuba-chan and 'Kitsu-chan would like jou."

Kagari blushed bright red, bright enough that he could have sworn he practically glowed in the dark. What was with this drunk kid? Latching onto strangers like that, saying weird stuff, all while drunk? Shameless! Absolutely shameless!

But then again... A small part of him, one that he quickly smothered to death and set on metaphorical fire for good measure, didn't exactly find the whole thing repulsive. In fact, it almost made him feel a twinge of contentment in his heart. Could he actually be reac—

No! NO! Absolutely not! He wouldn't entertain these bizarre thoughts or perverse line of thinking any longer! Different circumstances or "unique" body or not, he was a man and he liked girls! He wanted a female Ashikabi because that's how things were supposed to be!

Before he could even open his mouth and vocalize the thoughts spiraling in his brain, the taxi came to an abrupt halt and drove that line of thinking out of his mind. They had come to a stop outside a rather nice looking home that was a bit smaller than the Izumo Inn. He figured he shouldn't be too surprised considering they were in the same neighborhood after all, but he didn't peg Sahashi as the wealthy or affluent type to afford to live here.

With just as much struggle to get him out as it did to get him in, Kagari pulled Sahashi from the taxi and paid the driver. Huffing and puffing with the exertion (he was an element type, not a fist type for crying out loud), he ended up dragging his lightly snoring body to his doorstep. But before he could even start the awkward process of juggling the uncooperative body and somehow ringing the bell, the door swung open to reveal a pair of familiar faces he never expected to see there, let alone together in one place.

"Homura? What the hell are you doing with our Ashikabi?"

"Ah, Minato-sama is drunk, isn't he?"

It might have been a combination of alcohol, exhaustion, and pure bewilderment, but he found himself at a loss for words and with the beginnings of a migraine building in his temples. Fighting the urge to just dump Sahashi's unconscious body on the doorstep and flee gibbering into the night, he instead wordlessly handed him off into Akitsu's waiting arms. He could barely scrape together enough neurons to do much else.

He would have never even guessed that "'Shuba-chan" and "'Kitshu-chan" ended up being No. 04 Karasuba and No. 07 Akitsu. How was it even possible that the clumsy, awkward, goofy, and completely unassuming Sahashi was an Ashikabi? Or even managed to wing the Black Sekirei _and_ the allegedly unwingable Scrapped Number he heard whispers about from the other Sekirei? He still had a hard time believing it even with the proof looking him in the eye. A sudden voice cut through his thoughts like the ringing of cold steel through the air.

"Well? Are you going to answer me, or should I assume the worst?"

Her hand simply tightened around the hilt of her nodachi, and a sobering chill not entirely from the night air ran down his spine. He may not have been awakened around the time of the battles that gave her the fearsome monikers that still struck terror into the hearts of her enemies, but he was old enough to know exactly what she was capable of doing with that blade of hers.

"Uh, no need for that, Karasuba. Minato was drinking with my kouhai and I, and he went a little... overboard, to say the least."

"Is that so?" Karasuba's eyes narrowed dangerously, like an apex predator eyeing its prey.

"Ah. Minato-sama smells like a brewery." Akitsu chimed in.

After a brief moment of terse silence, Karasuba shrugged and relaxed her grip, apparently satisfied with his answer through Akitsu's confirmation of his story. Relief flooded through his body, and he let go of the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

"Well, aren't you going to come in then?" The Black Sekirei said with a smirk.

"What? Why?" The confusion was practically stamped all over his face from the abrupt mood whiplash.

"Ah. Hasn't Minato-sama winged you yet?" Akitsu said, the boy in question riding piggyback on her. "You must be reacting to him, no?"

Karasuba's smirk turned positively devilish even as a look of horror dawned on his face.

"Come now, let's not tiptoe around it! I mean, what are the odds that my Ashikabi runs into a Sekirei of all people on his first and only night on the town, drinks himself stupid with said Sekirei, and gets brought back to his home in a princess carry?"

"Wha-wha-what?!" You could practically see the steam rising from Homura's head as the alcohol boiled itself out of his bloodstream. "M-me? React to Sahashi? I don't— "

"You know, I may not be one to believe in all of that 'fated one' or 'destiny' crap, but when the evidence stares you in the face..."

"I DON'T SWING THAT WAY!"

Sahashi wasn't even his type! That wasn't to mean he _had_ a type of guy, of course not! He was 100% straight and he liked girls, thank you very much. But _if_ he did, and that was a colossal if, it would _not_ be Sahashi! Not in a million years, not if they were the last two people on Earth together!

It didn't seem to faze Karasuba in the slightest, who simply twisted her pinky in her ear and picked at her earwax. She flicked _something_ away, he couldn't tell what, and leveled a blank stare at him.

"Really, could have fooled me, bishonen." she deadpanned.

He felt like tearing at his hair in frustration.

"I live nearby, literally down the street from here!" Homura shouted. "I just wanted to make sure your Ashikabi got home okay, I don't want him on my conscience!"

Sahashi's two Sekirei exchanged a look, one that he was distinctly unnerved by. Akitsu's face might not have changed much, but he could have sworn he saw the faintest shadows of a smirk on her lips. And that hell-witch Karasuba didn't even bother with subtleties – she had a full blown shit-eating grin plastered across her mouth.

"Ah." Akitsu nodded her head thoughtfully and shifted Sahashi's weight around on her back.

"Uh huh..." The Black Sekirei said dryly, the sarcasm practically dripping from her voice. "But you'd want him on some other part of you, right? Like your d—"

"ARGH! WHATEVER! I'M LEAVING, GOOD BYE!"

The nerve of those people! Here he was, just trying to be a good Samaritan and take care of some drunk kid dumped on his lap, but no. Not a single bit of gratitude from any of them, but mockery and rudeness instead! This was why he worked at the host bar. At least at the end of the day, no matter how repugnant or offensive or distasteful the guests were, he was getting paid to put up with their nonsense. He didn't have to take this from Sahashi's Sekirei.

He turned to leave, stomping angrily away to put as much distance as he could between him and the wretched house of those wretched Sekirei and their equally wretched Ashikabi, but not before a certain someone got the last slurred words in.

"Bye bye, Kagari-shan... Shanksh for taking me home... Come back shoon, letsh play again shometime, jesh?"

Homura's muffled scream filled the air, almost buried by the sound of cackling laughter. His ears burned redder than ever with frustration and embarrassment, and he clutched at the slight twinge he felt in his chest. It was unbelievable how much they riled him up, to the point of causing him physical discomfort even!

"KEEP IT DOWN, YOU PUNKS! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"

"SHUT IT, OLD MAN! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY LAUGHING AT HOMURA'S MISFORTUNE?"

* * *

**AN: I apologize for the long wait, real-life caught up with me and I didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked. Still, I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think in a review! I love getting feedback. **


	5. The Spark

Chapter 5 – The Spark

* * *

A soft sobbing brought Minato out of a restless sleep where he then found himself in total darkness, where no ray of light could reach. The near total sensory deprivation disoriented him, and the pounding headache he was feeling wasn't making things easier for him. Suddenly, a small voice echoed through the black.

"Help me..."

Someone was calling him, a young female voice full of the same fear and trepidation thudding in his own breast.

"Onii-chan..."

"Who's there?" he replied, trying to make his way towards the voice.

He couldn't see a thing, and it felt like he was wading through a thick pool of inky darkness.

"Onii-chan, where are you...?"

He was suddenly reminded of his younger sister, of the time when she was lost in the forest near their home in the countryside. The look of distress and terror on her tear-stained face when he finally found her was something he could still see fresh in his mind. Minato had promised himself he would do everything in his power to never let her experience anything like that ever again, so to find someone in a similar situation galvanized his response. He was certain this girl was just as frightened as Yukari was.

"Just wait right there! I'm coming!"

Either by coincidence or finally stumbling on the correct path, he slowly began to make out more detail as the darkness began to fade. Replaced by a steadily growing verdant glow, he blindly groped his way towards the light. As if passing out of a cave, he found himself suddenly standing in the middle of a dense forest.

"Are you still there? I'm on my way, I'll be there soon!"

Focusing his entire being on listening for any sign of her, he pushed his way through the dense foliage with great difficulty. He locked onto the sound of her sniffles and began to pick up speed, running as fast as he could in her direction. Finally bursting into a small clearing, he saw the small figure of a young girl clad in a simple white dress sitting on the root of an enormous tree. It towered over her but its branches hung low, almost protectively sheltering her under its leafy boughs.

"Were you the one calling for me?" Minato asked softly as he slowly walked towards her. He didn't want to startle her and make her even more upset.

The girl looked up at him, and as her eyes met his, she broke out into a watery smile full of relief.

"Onii-chan, you're here." She said through her tears.

Minato smiled reassuringly and walked closer to her.

"Everything will be okay now." He sat down by her side and held her hand comfortingly. "So how come you keep calling me your Onii-chan? I'm afraid I don't remember meeting you before."

"Onii-chan is silly." She giggled, wiping her eyes cutely with her unoccupied hand. "Onii-chan is Kuu's Onii-chan, duh."

He couldn't help but smile wryly in response. Her name was Kuu, huh? It didn't ring any bells in his mind, but he let the matter slide for now.

"I suppose that's fair enough. How did you end up here all by yourself?"

A flicker of fear passed through the girl's face as the smile fell off her lips.

"A mean lady attacked Kuu... Hurt Ta-chan really bad..." She said, tears beginning to well up at her eyes again. "Ta-chan told Kuu to run... Kuu was so scared..."

A sudden rumbling deep within the earth violently shook the ground beneath their feet, and the girl screamed in terror. As if echoing her emotional state, the surrounding forest burst into activity. The verdant canopy, once a warm and vibrant color, grew dark and ominous. Gnarled branches curled protectively around the girl as the thick roots of the towering tree burst up from the earth beneath their feet. They knocked Minato away with a whiplike appendage, sending him flying with the air beat out of his chest.

"Onii-chan, help!" she screamed.

Minato gasped for breath, but her terrified scream filled him with reckless urgency. He exploded into motion, scrabbling on the ground and taking off into a desperate run to save the girl from the clinging roots, but to no avail. The harder he tried to run, the thicker of a strange miasma seemed to swirl around him and restrict his movements. He could feel himself sinking into the ground as if struggling against quicksand. Thick vines ensnared his body, tugging him down and away from her. Slowly, the roots formed a circular cage around her and began to retreat into the brush. She screamed frantically, hysteria in her voice.

"ONII-CHAN!"

He threw out his arm in a last-ditch effort to reach her, his head barely above ground level at this point. His fingertips extended as far as they could but they could only just graze the tips of her outstretched hand through the cage.

"Kuu!"

Darkness swallowed him up as he sank into the ground completely, stifling his senses once again.

...

Minato jolted awake with a feeling of intense pressure on his chest and a slight numbness in his arms.

"Who are you talking to...?" A voice asked sleepily.

"Ah... Go back to sleep, Minato-sama..."

He winced, head still throbbing in pain. Shaking his head a bit to clear the fog of sleep from his brain, he found himself tangled in a mess of bare arms and long legs. Apparently sometime in the night, his two Sekirei had gotten into bed with him and made themselves at home.

But now that he thought about it, when exactly did he get home? The last thing he remembered was meeting Kagari and heading into the club. Everything else was a hazy fog in his head. He had the vaguest feeling that he should be more concerned about the events of the night before, but the warmth of his Sekirei and their comforting presence was soothing his headache and driving those worries away.

Squirming a bit to make himself a little bit more comfortable, he felt the coolness of the sheets on his mostly naked body and froze in mild panic. It finally registered in his mind that he (and his Sekirei) were clad in nothing but underwear underneath the sheets. He had no idea how they had managed to strip him, but they did. And they apparently took the opportunity to strip themselves while they were at it. Their smooth expanses of flesh were utterly tantalizing, driving him crazy with wild desire.

"Mmmnhnnng... Minato... It's too early in the morning for nookie, stop poking my leg..." Karasuba mumbled, pressing her body deeper into his and snapping him out of his lustful haze.

Minato could only blush profusely and shut his eyes tight in an attempt to take his mind off of the sight and feel of the very... female forms now unquestionably seared into his memories. He could only consider himself extremely lucky that both of his Sekirei were too sleepy to realize they were clinging to or resting on both of his arms, keeping them well away from their bodies...

"Ah, Minato-sama... Poke me too..."

He suppressed the urge to groan aloud, hoping only to spontaneously sublimate into the atmosphere out of embarrassment.

* * *

If there was one thing that Akitsu realized she couldn't learn by reading the appropriate book or watching the instructional video, it was cooking. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't figure it out. Something always managed to go wrong. If it wasn't the temperature of the stove, it was the amount of seasoning, or the amount of time she was supposed to let something simmer, or the number of times she needed to stir something counterclockwise before adding in the vegetables. No matter how many cookbooks she read or online videos she referenced, nothing she seemed to try cooking ever came out properly.

"Really, Akitsu," Minato-sama would say. "You know it's perfectly fine that you can't make curry. I'm okay with making food myself."

And every time, she would frown to herself and nod with a bit of frustration as she scrubbed the latest failure off the pots and pans.

"I don't see why you keep trying, Akitsu. Everyone's got something they're bad at, and yours is cooking." Karasuba chimed in once in an effort to console her in her own Karasuba-ish way after a particularly spectacular kitchen disaster. Minato-sama had to scrub the walls for hours, and there was a faint smell of _something_ permeating the air for almost a week afterwards.

No. 04 could never understand her feelings, she preferred to laze about instead of chipping in around the household to help Minato-sama. Apparently the Black Sekirei had tried cooking once herself but had quit after the one attempt. Neither she nor their Ashikabi would speak a word about why, always answering evasively when questioned, but the thousand-yard stare that got into Minato-sama's eyes whenever she would attempt to ask was enough to tell the tale. At least she, or rather the books, thought so.

It was partially Karasuba's inability to cook that motivated her own desire to help cook the meals for the household. After all, if one of the Sekirei duo were slacking, it was only natural for the other to carry the weight, right? However, more than anything, she wanted to see the look of pride and joy on her Ashikabi's face when he tried her home cooking. It would give her more purpose, more value to him. Show him she was worth bringing in.

Still, hard effort was no substitute for good results. Minato-sama never turned her away when she decided to try a new recipe or method she was convinced would turn her cooking fortunes around, for which she was simultaneously eternally grateful for and terrified of. No one had infinite patience, and his was certain to run out eventually. And where would she be then if she couldn't prove herself to him before that?

A voice startled her out of her reverie, accompanied by a gentle squeeze of her hand.

"Akitsu, you okay? You've been spacing out for a while."

"Ah... It was nothing."

Now wasn't the time to be lost in thought though. With an immense force of will born from her icy stoicism, she wrenched her thoughts out of their self-destructive spiral and forcibly smothered them down. For now.

"Well, if you're sure, we should hustle and catch up to Karasuba. She said she'd meet us at the department store after she takes care of some personal errands."

After one of her bolder cooking attempts, Akitsu had ruined their pot completely beyond any hope of salvage. There was no choice but to go buy a new one, much to Karasuba's amusement. The Ice Sekirei heaved a weary sigh at the memory of it all.

As if sensing her thoughts through the bond, Minato-sama squeezed her hand again and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Shall we get going?"

Akitsu blushed slightly and simply nodded her head in assent. Despite her near constant stream of self-doubt, it was these moments of kindness where her Minato-sama lifted her out of the dark like he did that fateful night.

Once they had selected and paid for a replacement pot, the group rendezvoused at the big square nearby before deciding to just head home. They walked in comfortable silence, having at this point grown well-accustomed to each other. Akitsu still held her Minato-sama's hand as Karasuba hovered just ahead of them, close enough for the casual observer to put her within the same group as the other two without being overly close by.

She could never really understand Karasuba's odd mood swings regarding Minato-sama's affection. There were days where she would be all over him and then have days where she would just as readily shrug off his attempts at more public displays like hand-holding. Akitsu herself took every opportunity she had to maintain skin contact with their Ashikabi if not simple close proximity. The Ice Sekirei could only shrug mentally at her sister bonded's peculiarities.

A sudden commotion behind them had the entire sidewalk full of pedestrians turn their heads to gawk at the noise, only to begin fleeing in terror. Loud cracks filled the air along with the distinct smell of ozone. The crowd surged around them in panic even as Minato-sama attempted to pull his Sekirei closer to him in an protective embrace.

"What's going on?" He shouted, trying to get the attention of anyone willing to talk.

"Sekirei fight! You'd better get outta here too, kid!" A man yelled over his shoulder as he ran past.

"Sekirei fight, huh?" Karasuba grinned eagerly, a predatory glint in her eye. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested."

Minato-sama looked a little apprehensive at her enthusiasm, no doubt remembering the last Sekirei fight she was in.

"Are you sure we should get involved?" He winced as a particularly loud bang sounded through the air, the conflict seeming to inch closer to them even as they spoke.

"Don't be such a stickler, Minato! These things are open-invite—"

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

Akitsu and Karasuba's eyes narrowed suddenly, grabbing Minato-sama between them and leaping out of the way just a massive blur of motion crashed into the pavement where they had been standing. A cloud of dust flew into the air, punctuated by the screams of the bystanders inadvertently caught in the conflict.

"I hope this whole 'narrowly avoiding attacks from random Sekirei falling from the sky' doesn't become a thing..." Karasuba deadpanned as she massaged her temples.

"Ah, it is rather inconvenient."

Minato-sama still looked shocked that someone had fallen from the sky more than anything. Akitsu patted him on the back in what she hoped was the comforting manner she had seen in her dramas.

"Ow..." A voice said as the dust settled. Inside of the crater formed by her crash landing, a young brown-haired girl gingerly patted herself down.

She was clad in a modified miko outfit with bright red sparring gloves on each hand. Her hair was cropped on the short side. However, the most distinctive, or rather the most eye-catching, part of her was her massive bust. Akitsu had to admit it was fairly impressive, and, as she discreetly cupped her own for a rough comparison, she felt a little lacking. Maybe they were even bigger than her own combined with Karasuba's...

Turning to look at her sister-bonded for confirmation of her theory, she noticed that the Black Sekirei was tensed up with her teeth gritted and her grip white-knuckled on the hilt of her prized nodachi, possibly as soon as the dust settled. Akitsu had never seen Karasuba this much on edge before, not even when she dismantled Amebane.

Minato-sama must have picked up on his Sekirei's mood, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder in a calming touch.

"Karasuba, is everything alright?" He asked curiously.

Either Karasuba was too engrossed in whatever mood had taken her or she was flat out ignoring him, but she didn't seem to even register their Ashikabi's presence let alone touch or words.

"Musubi..." She growled lowly, just enough under her breath that only Akitsu's sharper hearing could pick up.

The pseudo-miko must have recognized the No. 04 Sekirei as well, brightening up immensely and running over with a broad smile, her bosom heaving up and down with each step. Karasuba visibly forced herself to calm down a bit, relaxing some of the tension in her shoulders and giving a rather strained "smile" that ended up looking like equal parts grimace and snarl.

"Karasuba-sama~!" The bubbly Sekirei gushed, bowing deeply in greeting. "It's been so long, Musubi is so happy to see you!"

"Yes, I can see that," she said, each word dryer than sand as if the very act of speaking was a chore.

"And who are these people, Karasuba-sama?" Musubi tittered, exaggeratedly peeking around Karasuba to get a better look at the bewildered Akitsu and Minato-sama. "Are they your new friends?"

Karasuba seemed a little taken aback at the sudden question.

"I suppose you could say that." She eventually replied. "The quiet frosty one is Akitsu and the slightly flaky-looking plain one is Minato," she said as she gestured to each person in turn.

Akitsu didn't know whether to be offended or not at being referred to as "the quiet frosty one," but chose to hold her tongue regardless. She hoped Karasuba would explain this all soon because none of the research material she had watched or read could have possibly prepared her for dealing with someone of such a textbook "genki" disposition. Minato-sama on the other hand just looked a little miffed to be referred to as "slightly flaky" and "plain."

"Ooh, I'm number 88 Musubi and a Fist Type! Pleased to meet you!" She gushed, practically vibrating with her unused energy as she vigorously shook each person's hand.

Karasuba's hand clenched even tighter at the sight of it and a small vein throbbed on the side of her neck, only to amplify as Musubi gripped Minato-sama's hand in both of her red-gloved ones.

"Musubi, you know you're not supposed to announce that kind of thing to every person you meet, right? Even if that madman has announced the Plan to the world, there is such a thing as 'tactical denial of information' you know..."

Musubi looked comically abashed, putting a fist to her head as she stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and closed one eye. Akitsu hadn't thought it was even possible to make such a face in real life.

"Oops, I forget sometimes." She giggled. "But it's okay cause we're all Sekirei here! Or your Ashikabi at least~!"

"How did you know Minato was my Ashikabi?" Karasuba questioned in surprise. "I never said anything about it."

"Well, Musubi can tell really easily!" She held up a pinky and winked playfully. "Musubi can see the red string of fate attached between you two, and Akitsu-chan too! It's very strong and very bright, Musubi is jealous of your bonds, Karasuba-sama!"

Before the No. 04 could retort, a pair of sharp voices yelled out from a nearby rooftop.

"FOUND YOU NOW, YOU LITTLE THIEF!"

"Onee-sama, please don't yell in my ear."

"Sorry, sorry. BUT THE CHASE ENDS HERE!"

Akitsu turned toward the source of the voices to see two girls clad in what looked like matching pink and purple leather S&amp;M outfits standing on the roof. They clasped their hands together, and sparks began to fly around them.

"Eat this! Lightning Crash!"

The smell of ozone filled the air as a massive thunderbolt flew from their extended hands towards the lot of them, all of whom managed to leap out of the way just before impact. Akitsu and Karasuba refused to be part of the crossfire, grabbing Minato-sama and jumping straight towards the source. The other Sekirei had other plans, however.

"Bye bye, Karasuba-sama~!" The genki miko yelled as she jumped in place and waved from her spot on an adjacent building. "Musubi's gotta run! Next time we meet, we should spar again!"

Karasuba said nothing in reply, even as Musubi quickly made herself scarce. Instead, she only kicked the ledge of the rooftop, sending chunks of rubble flying into the streets below.

Behind them, a noise that sounded oddly like a half-strangled cat trying to clear its throat drew their attention before either Akitsu or Minato-sama could react to Karasuba's strange behavior.

"S-so! You three must be accomplices of that damned thief!" The slightly shorter of the otherwise identical twins, clad in purple, said with a bit of a hitch in her voice. "Tell us where she's heading, if you know what's good for you, that is!"

"O-onee-sama, I t-think you should c-calm down..." The slightly taller of the twins, this one clad in pink, nervously nudged her older sister. She looked pale as a sheet and trembled where she stood.

A gradual feeling of ominous foreboding began to bubble in the pit of Akitsu's stomach. Mounting pressure nearly staggered her with its weight as_ someone's_ bloodlust began to pour out. She glanced around wildly and found the source to be Karasuba standing rigidly, back turned.

"You two are the ones who slung those thunderbolts around the city and interrupted my da— outing with my Ashikabi?"

A chill ran down everyone's spine at the sound of Karasuba's eerily calm voice.

"Erm," the purple twin said in a small voice, seemingly oblivious to the full weight of Karasuba's attention but just aware enough to know she was in deep trouble. "Well, yes and no, it's actually a funny story..."

"And now you're making _demands_? Of _me_?"

The Black Sekirei turned to face them fully, but the most terrifying thing about her wasn't the tone of her voice or the immense pressure rolling off her in waves. It was the look on her face. It wasn't a mask of rage like Akitsu might have expected or even a blank stare of surgical coldness. No, it was a slit-eyed caricature of a smile that looked entirely out of place on her.

"W-W-WE'RE VERY SORRY, KARASUBA-SAMA!"The taller twin all but screamed, grabbing her sister by the back of the head and forcing her into the same perfectly 90° angle bow she was currently in. "I-IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

"You mean that's THE Karasuba?" The purple one whispered in shock before her twin stomped on her foot to silence her.

"N-now if you'll please excuse us, we REALLY must be going now..." The pink one laughed nervously, all the mirth in her voice replaced entirely by a distinct note of fear.

Bowing low once again, the twins beat a hasty retreat so fast Akitsu could have sworn she saw an afterimage of the grimace of terror on their faces as they turned to run.

An awkward silence descended upon the rooftop until Minato-sama plucked up enough courage to gingerly hug Karasuba by the waist.

"Um, are you alright?" He said in a tiny voice.

Akitsu watched as the No. 04 Sekirei exhaled, a long expulsion of the tension and unknown feelings running through her mind. She turned a bit and put an arm around their Ashikabi, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah," she said finally. "Let's get out of here, I'm starving."

He smiled and deepened the embrace before yelping. Karasuba hefted him in a fireman's carry like a sack of potatoes and smirked at Akitsu.

"Let's take a shortcut today."

The Ice Sekirei couldn't help but smile at the sight of it all.

"Ah. Okay, Karasuba."

"Wait," Minato-sama chimed in suddenly from over Karasuba's shoulder. "Where's the pot?"

Akitsu's eyes immediately snapped to the bag in her hand she had been carrying this entire time. Or at least she thought she had been carrying. With a sense of growing embarrassment and trepidation, she lifted the bag to eye level only to discover a hole torn straight through the bottom. Mentally backtracking through the events that had just transpired, she felt the pit of her stomach drop as her gaze alighted upon the still smoking crater the lightning twins had made.

She swiftly jumped down without a word, Karasuba following with Minato-sama yelping on her shoulder. As if it was the result of some cosmic prank played specifically on her, the pot laid in the middle of the crater, half-melted and totally charred from the blast.

"Ah..." She really had no words for her complete failure.

Karasuba hopped down into the crater and nudged the corpse of their formerly-new pot with her boot clad toe.

"Yeah, this one's totally wrecked."

Akitsu kept her face a carefully sculpted mask of calm to conceal the panic welling up in her breast. Her stomach felt full of lead and she felt a wave of nausea threaten to spill out of her throat. She failed to keep the pot safe like Minato-sama asked her to, she failed what should have been an easy task, she failed his expectations, she failed, she FAILED, she—

"Oh well," Minato-sama said as he rubbed the top of her head. "Let's go back and get another before the stores close."

"But...!"

He shrugged and smiled casually.

"It's just a pot. Besides, it was an accident, right?"

The No. 07 Sekirei nodded hesitantly, uneasily, as she trailed behind him. She felt like she was being let off the hook too easily. Surely Minato-sama was furious at her for wasting his time and money because of her incompetence? She tried to dig through their bond for any sign of his displeasure to no avail. What if he was just concealing it from her, waiting for the privacy of their home to punish her? All of the social interaction models she had studied predicted such an outcome, there was no way it wasn't happening. A fresh wave of nausea threatened to spill up out of her throat at the thought of it.

Suddenly, she felt Karasuba sidle up to her and nudge her in the ribs with an elbow.

"Relax, I can feel your emotions bleeding through the bond." She said softly. "I've blocked off our Ashikabi for now while you calm down."

She turned to face her senior, a slight wild-eyed panic leaking out from behind her impassive mask.

"Ah, I..."

"It's fine, just focus on clearing your mind if I'm right and you don't want Minato catching on."

"Why are you...?"

It was entirely uncharacteristic of her to be so... empathetic, especially around her. Akitsu had assumed that Karasuba never particularly liked her, merely tolerated her for Minato-sama's sake.

"Because," Karasuba interrupted. "Minato likes you... And because I've grown fond of you. You're a decent sparring partner and I don't want it affecting him... Or your performance."

The Black Sekirei sped up, throwing their Ashikabi into a headlock and bodily dragging him along despite his muffled protests. Akitsu figured she was doing her best to distract Minato-sama from using the bond to tap into her emotions. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out how she was feeling at the moment and burden himself with her problems. It was bad enough that she had screwed up, there was no need to drag anyone else down with her.

She walked in silence, only the jingling of her chains indicating her presence.

* * *

Karasuba had already come to terms with the fact that she would have to run into Musubi eventually if she was to continue participating in the Sekirei Plan, but to actually come face to face with her was an entirely different story altogether.

She had anticipated their first meeting outside of MBI headquarters to be both extremely trying on her nerves and extremely awkward at best, which had turned out to be completely true and then some. Honestly speaking, she had hoped time and distance would give the both of them a more grounded maturity to make the No. 88 more bearable. "Out of sight out of mind," as the human expression went, but it seemed like "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" was the more appropriate phrase to use.

Apparently, she had always been a very... bubbly kind of girl and the aftermath of _that day _hadn'tdone anything to change that. Karasuba couldn't really know for sure why, but Musubi quickly began to bear a striking resemblance to _her _as she grew up, practically looking like sisters as time went by. That made the process of coming to terms with it all infinitely worse. It filled her with a near intolerable rage to see Musubi's brash, loud, and bumbling idiocy every day – that fool was everything _she_ wasn't and it made the Karasuba's blood boil to have to stand by and watch as she wore _her _face and defile _her_ legacy. To see that girl look up at her with those same damn eyes, filled with the love and admiration she had always wanted from _hers_.

It was a cruel mockery of fate that, coupled with the dying whisper that haunted her every other waking moment, nearly drove Karasuba mad.

A sudden honking from a car a few streets over from theirs brought her out of her thoughts. Nothing else but the cold winter night kept her company, the bite of the frosty air nipping at her cheeks as she sat on the rooftop of their home to clear her head after dinner. However, she wasn't so engrossed as to not notice Akitsu's soft arrival on the rooftop beside her. The younger Ice Sekirei was admittedly getting better and better the more she sparred with her, but it was a thousand years too early to even think about getting the drop on the Black Sekirei.

"Ah, Karasuba. Are you ready to go?" she asked in that characteristically even tone of hers.

"Yeah. Did you tell Minato where we were going?"

"Only that you and I were going out for a walk," she replied. "Minato-sama wanted me to tell you how happy he was that we were getting along now."

Karasuba resisted the urge to sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose. Minato was really sappy and embarrassing like that, she could practically hear his voice gushing about it as Akitsu spoke. She didn't really see why it was cause for celebration. Akitsu had proven herself loyal and a worthy Sekirei for him, so their initial squabble was ancient history as far as she was concerned.

All she wanted to do was take a walk to clear her head. She only invited Akitsu because it seemed like the Ice Sekirei could use a stroll herself after what happened earlier.

"Alright, let's go."

The two of them gracefully hopped off the roof and began their stroll through the neighborhood in a random direction. Neither of them were particularly adventurous, so they had never really saw fit to explore outside of the path Minato led them to go to the shopping district or the park before now. Still, the novelty of the walk quickly wore off as they went through the streets. Most of the homes looked identical to each other, and the few that deviated from the norm were blocked off by high gates and fences. If Karasuba had been an architectural type, she might have gotten something more meaningful out of it all, but her interests were more visceral than that.

An awkward silence gradually enfolded the two Sekirei. Without Minato around, they quickly realized they knew very little about each other's personal interests or hobbies. Small talk wasn't much of an option either — Karasuba had never been one to mince words, and the few times that Akitsu tried seemed like she was pulling one-liners out from a list she had written down from slice-of-life dramas and anime. A part of her wanted to ask about what had happened earlier with Akitsu and her near-panic, but Karasuba felt hesitant to broach the subject. She was definitely no therapist, nor had she experience with that kind of thing before. It would probably do more harm than good. Instead, she would give her space and let her sort things out on her own.

"Ah, good deal." Akitsu spoke up out of nowhere.

"Eh?"

The Ice Sekirei had paused a little ways behind her to take a closer look at a medium-sized flyer posted on the fence of a rather large property. If the fence alone was anything to go by, the grounds must have been rather extensive, even by the neighborhood's standards. Karasuba walked over to inspect the flyer herself, her own curiosity piqued.

"Izumo Inn," she read aloud. "Now renting rooms for boarders, long-term stay welcome. ¥50000 per month, meals and utilities included, inquire inside..."

Huh. That _was_ a pretty good deal, all things considered. She had to smile wryly though. Minato must be rubbing off on them more than any of them expected. He could never resist a good bargain. Somehow, they must have been subconsciously trained to look for savings like he did.

"Can I help you?" A frosty voice not at all out of place in the winter air cut in.

Turning to face the source, Karasuba met eyes with a young woman, seemingly no older than herself, with long purple hair in a hime cut. She wore the traditional attire of a miko with a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt, wooden sandals and a white ribbon to partially hold her hair in place. Her deep brown eyes, almost red in shade, bore into her own grey with a steely glint. Gripped in her hand was a blade Karasuba knew all too well. The corner of the No. 04's lips twitched at the sight of her old comrade.

"Miya, what a pleasant surprise," she said with a broad smile that felt more like a lioness baring her fangs than a true greeting.

"Karasuba," the purple-haired woman grit out. "I can't exactly say the same for you."

The Black Sekirei laughed, sounding more of a sharp barking than anything, honestly amused by the whole thing. She knew "Izumo Inn" sounded familiar somehow but couldn't quite remember why until now. It had been years since she last laid eyes on the former First Generation Disciplinary Squad Leader, but she wasn't at all surprised to see she hadn't changed a bit.

"I see the years haven't done anything to dull that sharp tongue of yours, Miya."

"What do you want, Karasuba? You'd better have a good reason for showing up on my doorstep unannounced and unwanted, or you'll see if the years have done anything to dull my blade instead."

Karasuba's grin turned positively feral as her immense killing intent flared in response to Miya's implied threat. If it was a fight she wanted, it was a fight she was going to get. Consequences be damned.

"In all honesty, I was just taking a stroll through the neighborhood with my friend here," Karasuba grinned with a flourish of her hand towards Akitsu, who looked pale as a ghost watching the exchange. "I live right down the street, with no idea we were practically neighbors."

She glanced over at the large tree that towered over the fence, sensing a familiar Sekirei eavesdropping nearby.

"You should have said something when you dropped by that night, _Homura_."

A startled yelp and a crashing of branches announced his presence as the Flame Sekirei came tumbling down from his perch in the branches. With an unnatural quickness, he scurried over but hung back a little ways behind Miya.

"H-Hey, Karasuba. Fancy seeing you here, eh?" Homura chuckled nervously, no humor at all in his terrified voice.

A sharp glance like a whipcrack from Miya stifled his tittering and Karasuba had to resist a snort of her own. It didn't seem like she was in the mood to play around. A pity.

"As fun as this little get-together has been, we really should get going. Wouldn't want our Ashikabi to get worried, right Akitsu?"

The Ice Sekirei could only nod rapidly in reply, her body language practically screaming the words she dared not utter.

"You have an Ashikabi?" Miya scoffed dismissively. "Who's the poor wretch you threatened into winging you, because there's obviously no one stupid enough to willingly pick you of all Sekirei."

Karasuba's smile slipped off her face and crashed into the ground so fast you could have heard it thud onto the pavement. _No one_ talked about her Ashikabi like that, _especially_ not Miya. She strode up right to the purple-haired Sekirei's face and flared her killing intent, barely registering Homura clutching at his chest and collapsing to his knees from the corner of her eye. Akitsu wobbled on her feet, still managing to stand for now.

_"Good girl,"_ she thought privately.

"You know _nothing_ about my Ashikabi, Miya." She hissed venomously into the purple-haired woman's stony face. Her lips slowly twisted into a cruel sneer. "But I suppose I can't fault you for that, can I? You don't know a damn thing about even _having_ an Ashikabi in the first place."

Miya's composure snapped and she exploded with rage, the pressure rolling off her in waves. Both of her hands tightly gripped her blade, mere moments away from unsheathing it. Homura and Akitsu had collapsed entirely at this point, laid out flat on the floor under the combined weight of Karasuba's and Miya's formidable auras. But to the Black Sekirei, she could only feel her heart pound with adrenaline. Her palms itched for a fight and she had to grip her own nodachi bone-white in order to keep them from drawing her blade. As much as she would have loved to murder Miya for her insults, she knew it wasn't the appropriate time yet, for a great many of reasons. That didn't mean she would back down if the No. 01 Sekirei escalated things, though.

"You say another word... and I will cut out your tongue and feed it to you."

"M-Miya!" Homura managed to gasp out. "S-stop! You... can't act right now... it's... too soon!"

Her head snapped in his direction to level a powerful stare that might have been able to melt steel beams with its intensity. With a visible force of will, the No. 01 Sekirei reigned in her murderous intent and exhaled sharply. Only then were the two innocent bystanders able to slowly crawl to their feet and suck in the deep breaths of air that had been forced out of their lungs. Akitsu leaned heavily on Karasuba, who practically held her up with the arm she threw around her waist in support.

"Get off my property." Miya growled lowly. "If you even place one foot within the perimeter of this Izumo Inn ever again, I will kill you, Karasuba. Rules be damned."

As Minato's Sekirei walked away, the No. 04 couldn't resist sneaking in the last word.

"You can certainly try, Miya. You can certainly try."

* * *

Oh, this certainly was not good.

Suba-tan's appearance was most certainly _not_ predicted by any of her initial calculations, but it didn't take a genius IQ to guess what would happen if she met Miya-tan this soon into The Plan.

She supposed they, "they" being all of Tokyo and possibly more depending on a number of variables, could consider themselves lucky the little _confrontation _had de-escalated when it had. She was still trying to salvage her instruments, most of which had been shattered under the combined pressure of Suba-tan and Miya-tan's killing intents. Luckily enough, disaster-proofing her hidey hole had proven to be a worthwhile investment as few of her more vital systems had been affected.

At least she had the benefit of her hidey hole to take cover in though. Everyone else at the Inn had to tread carefully around Miya-tan when she stormed back inside. Poor Homu-tan had been at Ground Zero when it all went down so he barely was able drag himself through the door in her wake before passing out in the hallway. And Uzu-tan unwittingly got a face full of ladle and spooky aura when she came home through the door in her usual loud manner, not aware of the foul mood in the air.

Getting back to the point, the unexpected visit threw quite the figurative wrench in her plans. It was now necessary to accelerate the timetable or risk losing the subject entirely. She didn't like it one bit, especially since she still wasn't 100% sure how the subject was going to react to her... stimuli. Her observations and variable analysis weren't yet completed to her satisfaction which meant she was flying in unknown territory, something that a woman of science like her found uncomfortable to say the least. But where would progress be without a little risk? History was written by the bold, so bold she would have to be to get what she wanted.

After all, she had plenty of... experiments earmarked for the subject pending success of the next stage of her plans. Experiments she was greatly looking forward to running.

_"Just you wait, ufufufu..."_

* * *

No matter how much he tried, Minato felt like he would never be able to get a good understanding of women.

He didn't know when exactly the change of heart happened, but it almost seemed like Karasuba and Akitsu finally managed to click overnight. Honestly speaking, he was ecstatic to see that the two of them were getting along after the initial period of awkwardness, but it was still a little jarring to hear things like Karasuba inviting Akitsu to go for a walk with her. Not that he was jealous or anything, he didn't really feel like walking much of anywhere after dinner that night and he didn't even stretch properly for it anyway.

No, it was just... weird, for lack of a better word. Which was why he felt more than a little blindsided by Akitsu and Karasuba's announcement a few mornings later that the two of them were going to have a "girls only day," politely requesting he leave the house.

...

"Wait, what?" He said confused, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth in shock.

"Is there a problem, Minato-sama?" Akitsu asked quickly. "Because if there is, I can—"

"That won't be necessary, Akitsu," Karasuba interrupted, absentmindedly moving her hand under his chin to shut his mouth for him. "We're big girls now, we don't need daddy hanging around to take care of us all the time."

Minato swallowed heavily at the lidded smile she threw his way, blushing bright red all the while.

"Or is the big man of the house going to sweep us up into his strong, muscular arms and tell us we can't? Is he going to bend us over his powerful knee and spank us for being so naughty?"

If he wasn't red enough already, he felt the remainder of his blood rush into his face. His face burned like it was set aflame by Karasuba's innuendo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akitsu abruptly stand up with a clatter of her chair and raise her hand.

"Ah! Actually, I would like that very—"

Karasuba clapped a hand over Akitsu's mouth and smothered whatever it was she was about to say. She laughed at the expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Minato. We'll just be inside the house. You go have fun in the city, it'll be fine in the daytime."

She stuffed a wad of bills into his hand with a wink.

"Don't spend it all in one place, and definitely not on any alcohol either."

...

Really, the nerve of those two! What would they even be doing anyway? From his admittedly limited experience, girls' days (or nights) usually consisted of Yukari and her friends lazing around eating ice cream and watching sappy movies together, or gossiping and painting each other's nails.

He could do that too! He didn't mean to brag or anything, but all the times Yukari forced him to do her nails for her made him get quite good at mani/pedis! He didn't really know if Karasuba or Akitsu were into that kind of thing (he couldn't picture Karasuba wielding her fearsome nodachi with sparkly nail polish on without laughing out loud), but still... He liked watching movies too, and ice cream was delicious at any time of day! He wasn't very good at gossiping admittedly, but he was a pretty good listener! It's not like he was jealous or bitter or mad at being left out, he was just saying that it didn't need to be an exclusively girls thing...

Whatever! He could have fun by himself without any of his Sekirei!

_"That'll show em,"_ he thought to himself.

Besides, it was a beautiful, if not a little nippy, winter day! The sun was shining and he had a pocket full of cash he was free to spend on whatever!

_"Why does it feel like I was given a bribe by my mom to get out of her hair?"_

Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he sulked his way down the street to look for a nice place to stop by and grab something to drink. Young people these liked to drink tea or coffee at cafés and take in the atmosphere, right?

Of course, he had no idea which cafés were popular or served good drinks, so he just walked into the first one he saw nearby.

"Welcome back, goshujin-sama~!"

Minato froze mid-step, hand still clutching the door handle to the café. Standing before him were a pair of twin girls, dressed in French maid outfits and curtsying deeply. He turned around in confusion, thinking he was in the way of some VIP, and hopped to the side to get out of their path.

"Umm..."

"Err, right this way, goshujin-sama~! Your usual table is this way!"

"My what?"

He had inadvertently stumbled into one of those maid cafés Yukari had gushed about so often. The decor was rather understated and simple, but the main draw was obviously the girls. He was extremely out of his element, and it didn't seem like this was the kind of crowd he was looking for either. Most of the people here were sketchy looking otaku-types, not the young people philosophizing over a nice cup of coffee he wanted.

Minato hesitantly took a seat as one of the twins, a pink-haired girl, took his order.

"What will you have today, goshujin-sama~?"

"Um," he said as he browsed the menu. "I think I'll try the... 'Super Deluxe Mocha Iced Love Love Frappucino?' Do you have this in regular, like without the 'Super Deluxe' or the 'Love Love' part?"

Was this kind of naming sense supposed to be cool or something? Young people's interests were changing way too quickly for him to keep up with.

"No, we only serve the Super Deluxe Mocha Iced Love Love Frappucino here~!" She replied with a slightly strained smile. "Would you like whipped cream on that~?"

"Uh... Sure?"

"Okay~! One Super Deluxe Mocha Iced Love Love Frappucino with whipped cream, coming right up for you, goshujin-sama~!"

She reached out to grab the menu from him and her fingers grazed his as he passed it over. Minato felt a jolt of static electricity pass between them and yelped in shock, sending the menu to the floor. The pink-haired girl eeped as well, clutching her hand to her hand with a deep blush. She stared at him with an indescribable look on her face that he took as equal parts horror and embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "I didn't mean to startle you, I must have been zapped with static electricity or something."

She quickly shook her head and laughed nervously.

"Ehehe, n-no problem, goshujin-sama~! I'll be right back~!"

Minato watched as she swept the fallen menu into her arms, gave a rather clumsy curtsy, and scurried off. She must be a new hire or something, not quite used to the job yet. He winced as she bumped into a table and tripped over her own feet.

A short while later, the other twin (a purple-haired girl) came out with his drink on a tray. To his slight horror, it was in one of the least functional cups he had ever seen in his life and came with a ridiculously gaudy bendy-straw of all things. He should have known the café would serve something like that.

"Okay, goshujin-sama~! Your drink is here!" The girl said as she placed his drink on the table with a flourish of her hand. "But before you drink, I can recite a magic spell that will make it more delicious~!"

"Um, thank you but I really don't think it'll be ne—"

"Moe moe kyun kyun~!" She said with a wink of her eye.

Minato couldn't resist cringing at her overt display. He knew it was rude and that the girl was trying her best and just doing her job, but HOLY MOLY... Maid cafés were something else. If he were more attentive, he would have noticed how strained her smile was, or that her eye had a bit of a twitch to it all the while.

"Moe moe kyun kyun~!"

A few of the guests nearby turned to look at the spectacle, no doubt expecting to see something like this regularly in the establishment. The purple-haired girl faltered a bit, suddenly feeling the hefty weight of people's focused attention and gazes, but soldiered on bravely.

"Moe moe kyun kyun~!"

She twirled in place and held out her hands in a heart shape like those mahou shoujo characters would for shooting special laser beam techniques at their foes. Or were they love beam techniques? However, she slipped in her nervousness and pitched forward in an express trip for a painful faceplant into the table. Acting quickly, he stepped forward and caught her before she fell, holding her tightly so she could get a chance to stabilize herself.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"..."

She made no effort to reply immediately, merely glowing bright red with embarrassment before hastily separating herself from his arms. With a stiff bow and nod of gratitude, she fled the scene, almost slipping and falling over again on the way out in her haste.

_"Very odd," _he mused to himself.

What were the odds he'd run into the one café with two new hires who also happened to be twins to boot? Sipping from his drink, he found himself pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Maybe a little too much on the sweet side for his taste, but nothing too unenjoyable. If only it wasn't so... flashy in here. He might even have considered coming back a second time if it wasn't so otaku-catered.

In the end, he decided to just finish his frappucino as quickly as he dared before risking a massive bout of brain freeze. It was getting late, and while Karasuba and Akitsu called to tell him they wouldn't be needing him to come home to cook them dinner (they ordered take-out), he still needed to eat one himself. Frappucinos were nice and all, but they were no replacement for a nice hot meal. Perhaps he would go for some ramen or something.

It seemed like the café was winding down to close for the day anyway. Most of the customers had trickled out by now, and some of the maids were wiping down tables and counters to clean up. A quick scan of the room located the cash register at the back, manned by... the twins of all people.

"Leaving so soon, goshujin-sama?" The purple one asked, her previous energy missing from her voice.

"Erm, yeah. It's kinda late and I should be going now."

"Have a safe journey," the pink one said with a curtsy. He almost missed the discreet slap she did to her sister's side when she noticed she wasn't following suit.

"Yeah, come back soon, goshujin-sama."

He could feel their stares boring into the back of his head as he left, not entirely sure why.

...

Almost immediately after leaving the café, he had a distinct feeling of unease creep up along the back of his neck. He couldn't quite place it, but it almost felt as if someone was following behind him.

Every time he would turn around, he would just catch a glimpse of someone ducking around a corner or pass out of his field of vision. Perhaps it was all of the sugar he just drank down making him nervous and jumpy. After all, that kind of thing only happened to important people in movies, not in real life right? He wasn't particularly good-looking enough to stalk, nor was he some kind of VIP in any field. He didn't resemble anyone famous, that he knew of at least, and he never borrowed money from loan sharks. There wasn't really any reason for him to be followed around, so he was likely just being unnecessarily paranoid. He definitely was going to stop drinking such overly sugary or caffeinated drinks if this was going to be how he felt afterwards.

But just to be safe, he decided to make 3 left turns at an intersection in a row. He remembered watching an episode of Tokyo Noir where the main heroine was being tailed by a couple of Yakuza thugs and quickly used the same technique to determine if they were actually following her or not. Like she had said, "One turn is a coincidence, two turns is less so, three turns is deliberate." Not many people, if any at all, would need to walk in a complete circle.

It was important though that he keep extremely calm as to not tip his potential-pursuers off that he was onto them. Taking as deep breaths as possible to keep his fraying nerves steady, he walked at as casual of a pace as he could. It was much more difficult than he thought it would be. Too fast, or even too slow, and whoever was tailing him would realize he was aware and do something drastic. With deliberate step after deliberate step, he finally managed to reach the first intersection. Hands in pockets, he rounded the corner seemingly without a care in the world. No one particularly stood out as a suspicious-looking person, but he figured only a truly incompetent tail would fail to blend in properly.

The eyes on the back of his head continued to weigh heavy on his psyche, but he refused to give into suspicion and panic. It was probably just jitters from that damned drink, nothing more and nothing less. There was really no reason to think anyone was following him, but he still racked his mind as he walked for anything that might explain it.

Karasuba and Akitsu were both supposed to be at home for their girls' day so it was unlikely to be them. Even if they decided to sneak out to follow him for fun, he doubted they would want to do that for long. Karasuba might have had the patience and skill to do it but if he knew his Sekirei (and he liked to think he did), they would both just rather jump him and smother him in affection. Besides, Akitsu was kind of too flashy of a person to be inconspicuous. No one looked like they would fit her distinctive silhouette even in disguise because her breasts were anything but... err... Never mind.

His mom might have reason to follow him to make sure he wasn't getting up to no good, but she was likely hard at work and far too busy to do things like this. If she had been too busy to see or keep up with him until she literally descended from the sky over his head, he seriously doubted she would take the time to follow him herself. He wouldn't put it past her to hire some kind of private investigator to do it for her though, but he got the distinct feeling that whoever she trusted enough for the job would be a highly trained and experience professional he would never have detected in the first place. The same went for Yukari as well. She loved to play pranks like this on him when they were younger and his mom had mentioned that she would be coming to Tokyo soon. Still, she was far too good at it to be slipping up and let him notice.

Before he realized it, he rounded the second intersection and waited to see if anyone seemed out-of-place or suspicious. A flash of movement in the reflection of a nearby storefront drew his attention to a pair of people trying very hard to remain inconspicuous, so much so that it drew more attention to them than if they were to act normally. He heaved a slight sigh of relief that they weren't some kind of trained assassins out to get him or some kind of super sleuth trying to investigate him, but the danger still remained. He still didn't know who they were or why they were after him.

After rounding the third and final corner, he ducked into the outdoor patio of a nearby café (this one, thankfully, a normal one) and pretended to check his phone. By hiding in a well-lit and public area, he figured he would be relatively safe from his pursuers even if they were to follow him there. Pretending not to notice, he spotted them out of the corner of his eye hastily scramble to find him. It looked like they had completely lost him and were panicking as a result. Maybe he was being reckless, but he wanted to know who would even bother to go to all this trouble just for him.

Putting his cell phone up to his face, he merely kept up the appearance of preoccupation with his gadget. Fiddling with it for a while, he switched it to the camera function to get a better look at the people following him. They appeared to be of similar height and build, though one was a little taller than the other. Both were clad in non-descript hoodies with large pairs of sunglasses obscuring their faces. On top of it all, they both wore blank baseball caps drawn low over their face to further mask their features. It was absolutely the most stereotypical "I'm trying to be incognito" outfit he had ever seen.

"There he is, Onee-sama!"

He looked up suddenly to see them pointing right at him.

"Get him!"

There were really no other words for it but "oh shit." The jig was up and if what they said was anything to go by, he probably didn't want to know what they had in mind for him. In retrospect, it had been utterly stupid to want to confront them in the first place. Minato took off in a dead sprint with no particular destination in mind except "away from the crazy stalker girls." He knew you never wanted to lead your pursuers to your home, so he had to go in the complete opposite direction of the two people whose capabilities he trusted more than his own.

The streets were sparsely inhabited at this time of dusk, not quite late enough for the bustling Tokyo nightlife but just enough for most to be home rather than out. It gave him more room to maneuver and run without needing to be careful of many pedestrians but at the same time, it meant there weren't many opportunities to hide in a dense crowd. Still, he had to be extremely thankful to Karasuba and her hellish training regimen — before he met her he might not have been able to sprint very hard or for very long. At least now he had somewhat of a fighting chance to stay ahead of his pursuers.

Minato led them on a merry chase through the city but his stamina eventually ran out. Gasping for air, he slumped onto the wall of a nearby building. There was just no physical way he could push his body any further. He hoped he had put enough distance between them to have successfully lost them but it was no sooner he thought it that they more or less dragged themselves over to him. Surprisingly enough, they were in even worse shape than he was.

"Damn... you... Why'd... you run...?" One of them wheezed, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Onee-sama... You... spooked him..." The other choked out between ragged gasps of air.

Enough was enough. He was literally tired of running, he wanted answers and he wanted them now!

"Who... are you... people?" He panted back. "Why... are you... following me?"

Maybe they all recognized that there was not going to be any productive conversation if everyone was hacking up their lungs, but the three of them agreed to take a moment to calm down and catch their breaths. He decided to take that as a good sign, perhaps they weren't so bad after all.

"Ahem. As I was about to ask earlier _before_ you sprinted away, are you an Ashikabi?"

Oh god. He was completely wrong about them. He didn't like where this was going.

"Um, I suppose so, yeah..."

"I knew it, Onee-sama!" The slightly taller of the two exclaimed excitedly. "I told you he was the one!"

"How could such a flaky-looking guy be the one we be reacting to? It makes no sense..."

Oh shit. Shit shit shit.

"Wait, slow down. How could you be reacting to me?" He shouted in disbelief. "I've never even met you before now!"

The two girls exchanged a strange look and seemed to only just now realize how they appeared to the public eye. They quickly removed their sunglasses and took off their baseball caps to reveal they were twins with matching long black hair. With their "disguises" off, he suddenly realized how familiar they were to him.

"You're those thunderbolt-shooting twins from the other day?! You almost blew us up!"

"Hey, I don't remember _almost_ blowing anyone up recently!" The slightly shorter twin protested indignantly.

"The only people we've targeted recently was that damned thief girl and..." The slightly taller of the twins trailed off, furrowing her brows in thought.

Both twins' jaws dropped as they both came to the same realization at once.

"YOU'RE THE SAME FLAKY-LOOKING GUY WHO WAS WITH KARASUBA?" They shouted at the same time in disbelief.

Minato couldn't decide whether he was more offended by the flaky comment or the fact that he was completely unmemorable without the help of Karasuba to them.

"That doesn't explain anything though, we didn't even speak!" he argued.

"Actually, it's a funny coincidence because we were reacting to you when you came into the café earlier and not because of what happened on that day." One of them giggled nervously.

"Wait what? The café?" He asked again, completely confused at this point. Then it hit him, recognition dawning on him the same way it did to them. "You mean you two were those twin waitresses?"

It was their turn to be offended this time.

"Tch, yes!" She pulled out a purple wig from her backpack. "We were in cosplay for that shitty otaku hovel."

Her twin pulled out a similar wig but in pink. "Onee-sama, you can't say that about the café! That's our only job!" She chastised.

"So when you two were being all clumsy and such, that was because you were reacting to me?" he interrupted, trying to bring the conversation back on track.

"Oi, oi! We were _not_ being 'all clumsy and such!'" The purple-wigged girl protested with a light blush forming on her cheeks. "I mean, _I_ wasn't at least. I dunno about her though." She jerked a thumb in the direction of her twin.

"H-Hey, wait a second! That's not true, you were reacting just the same as me! You know we could only be reacting to someone if the both of us were!"

The two of them stared at each other, arms crossed. The air filled with the crackling of energy and the smell of ozone, making the hairs on his body raise up as if he were caught in a field of static electricity. Before the situation devolved into an inevitably messy fight between the two Sekirei, he knew he had to step in.

"Um, let's not get distracted now..." He said nervously, his hands raised placatingly.

Both twins' heads snapped over to his direction with heated stares and flushed faces. He was sure they had been so caught up in their squabble, they had completely forgotten he was here. Unfortunately for him though, it might have been better had they continued ignoring him. The two of them stalked over to him, backing him up against the wall and boxing him in with their bodies. There could only be one outcome from this and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

Karasuba and Akitsu had only just recently started to get along with each other, who knows what would happen if he just winged another two Sekirei at once. And he wasn't even sure if he was capable of handling the responsibility of taking care of them at all, let alone wonder if the four of them were going to be able to co-exist. The possibility definitely existed to just walk away and pretend he never saw them, but he understood the significance of a Sekirei's reaction to a potential Ashikabi. That just wasn't something he could do, especially knowing what had happened to his Akitsu. The scars of that traumatic experience still haunted her to this day. He couldn't knowingly inflict something like that on anyone.

Sekirei were risking it all for a chance at true happiness when they reacted to their Ashikabi, their destined one. To flee, to reject them would just be too cruel for him to legitimately consider. In the end, he found himself to be rather helpless in the face of their power of faith and love, but it was a two-way street. He would just to have a little faith of his own and trust that things would work out.

"Are you sure you want this? To be winged by me?" He had to confirm, to make absolutely certain their feelings and give them an out. Winging was a permanent thing, and these girls barely even knew him. He wouldn't be hurt in the slightest if they decided to change their minds.

"D-Don't be stupid!" One of them stammered. "If you're the one, then you're the one. That's all there is to it!"

"You are a strong Ashikabi with a good heart, the powerful resonance of our reaction is proof enough of that. Onee-sama and I wouldn't react to just anyone."

"If you're absolutely certain, then I'll agree to it." He still had a few misgivings about the whole thing, but those could wait for later. "Could I at least get your names first?"

As soon as he said that, the twins shared another look and burst into giggles.

"Pfft... This whole time we had completely forgotten our manners, how silly of us..." She shook her head before straightening up with a smirk. "I'm No. 11, Hikari!" The slightly shorter one with the purple wig announced proudly.

"And I'm No. 12, Hibiki." The slightly taller one with the pink wig bowed slightly.

"Um, nice to meet you," Minato replied rather stiffly. "I'm Sahashi Minato."

As soon as he finished, the two of them gently cupped his cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. Placing a chaste kiss on his lips at the same time, both Hikari and Hibiki's wings sprouted in a burst of bright yellow light.

"By the thunderbolt of our pledge," Hikari began.

"We will eliminate the disasters that threaten our Ashikabi," Hibiki continued.

"You are ours as we are yours, now and forevermore."

This last sentence they said as one, smiling at him with small blushes on their faces. Minato found himself at a loss for words as always. He had been through 3 winging ceremonies now, but he thought he would never quite get used to the whole thing. He hoped he never would.

Connected to the Lightning Twins by an official Sekirei bond, he could feel the nervousness and apprehension behind their brave faces. He could empathize completely. After all, they had just taken a massive leap of faith, reaction or not, to bind themselves to a stranger on the basis of a mysterious feeling no one could really explain. Minato drew them in tightly for a reassuring embrace, sending as many thoughts of affirmation and comfort as he could through the bond. The twins looked up in mild surprise, tensing up at the unfamiliar sensation pouring through them before relaxing into his arms.

"Let's go back home, shall we?"

"Yes, my Ashikabi." They replied in sync, holding him tight as they walked back to the Northern Sector.

A sudden thought hit him when they had reached the unofficial border line, and he mused out loud.

"You know if we're lucky, Karasuba and Akitsu should still be having their girls' day festivities. You can just join right in!"

The good vibes came to a screeching halt as his newest Sekirei stopped in their tracks to fix him with matching looks of horror.

"D-Did you just s-say K-K-Karasuba and A-Akitsu were waiting for us at home?" Hikari sputtered.

"O-Onee-sama..." Hibiki whispered as realization dawned on her. "T-That means Minato is the D-Demon Tamer Ashikabi...!"

"S-So he wasn't just coincidentally in the same area but was actually her Ashikabi? The rumors were t-true?"

Minato stared back with a look of utter confusion that was starting to make itself more and more at home on his face these days.

"What rumors are you talking about? What the heck is a 'Demon Tamer Ashikabi?'"

A new look of awe and respect replaced the fear written all over the twins. They gazed up at him like he was some kind of legendary figure, something that was starting to make him uneasy. He had a bad feeling about this.

"There's been rumors going around lately that the No. 04 Sekirei, aka the Mad Dog of MBI aka the Black Death aka the Blade of Calamity, Karasuba had been winged by an Ashikabi...!" Hikari started in hushed tones.

"They say she believed none was worthy of being her Ashikabi... So when she found the one man she actually reacted to, she challenged him to a fight to the death..." Hibiki continued in the same tone.

It seemed the rumor mills had greatly exaggerated the tale of Karasuba's winging. He could definitely see Karasuba not believing anyone was worthy of her, that much at least was fairly plausible. But a fight to the death? Maybe that fight with the thug in the alleyway counted somewhat, but that wasn't exactly what was going on in this tale, especially since it was less of a fight and more of him making a... tactical retreat with Karasuba in tow.

"Their battle raged across the city for 3 days and 3 nights without end until the mysterious man emerged victorious from a cloud of rubble and dust, standing above Karasuba's defeated body."

The whole escape... err... retreat... had probably lasted around 30 minutes and certainly not 3 days and 3 nights. Where were people getting this information?

"'End it!' She cried, not wanting to live in a world where she was no longer the strongest. She wanted a warrior's death in battle at the peak of her ability but the man denied her, sweeping her up into his powerful arms and clutching her to his broad chest."

"'I may have beaten you, but this is not where your end lies,' He told her. 'Become my Sekirei and I will find you worthy foes to slay. Become my woman and I will love you to the end of days, now and forevermore.'"

Now that conversation, he was sure, definitely did not happen. If anything, it was _she_ who winged _him_! But the blushes and mini swoons from his newest Sekirei didn't go unnoticed. How could they like such a sensationalized tall tale so much? He thought they were too thoroughly spooked by Karasuba to care about anything else!

"Thus, Karasuba laid a searing kiss on the man who had won her heart and her wings burst from her back like gouts of fire and brimstone. Together, they defeated all comers and thoroughly destroyed any who dared approach. I mean, you can see the video of how she took down that Amebane guy online if you want proof."

"And that's how the Demon Tamer Ashikabi got his name, by winging Karasuba and making her his woman!" Hibiki finished up.

"There are so many things wrong with that story, I don't know where to begin." Minato deadpanned. "And how does Akitsu come into this?"

"Well, rumor had it that the No. 07 Sekirei, aka the Unwingable aka the Forsaken One, Akitsu had been punished by MBI for some unspeakable crime and was cast out to die."

He didn't know what crime Akitsu had done to deserve such a horrible fate, but being cast out to die was pretty much what had happened. Admittedly, she fled MBI of her own volition but circumstances forced her to do so. He would never forgive the company for doing that to his Sekirei, and if he ever found out who was responsible...

"It was in her moment of unspeakable despair that the Demon Tamer Ashikabi approached her with his hand of mercy. 'Join me, and I will give you purpose again. Become my woman, and I will love you until the end of days, now and forevermore.'"

His Sekirei swooned again, and he had to resist the urge to either groan aloud or curl up to die. Probably a little bit of both. It was so embarrassing how fanciful and flowery these events had gotten, but the worst part was how every story had just enough of the truth left at their core to be recognizable to him still.

"How does that make Akitsu a demon though?"

Hikari furrowed her brow in frustration. "I don't know! I don't make up these stories, I'm just repeating what I heard for your benefit!"

"Maybe it's because people naturally assumed she was some kind of demon for being treated in such a way," Hibiki posited innocently. "Like a divine punishment for evil."

"For your sakes, I hope you two never say that in front of her. What happened to Akitsu was horrible and disgusting," Minato said heatedly. "Don't ever suggest she was being punished for something because she was completely innocent!"

The Lightning Twins must have sensed his protective agitation, and quickly apologized.

"We misspoke, I'm sorry," Hibiki bowed her head low in shame. "I didn't mean to suggest that at all."

Minato sighed and patted their heads softly. He wasn't mad at them per se. Like Hikari said earlier, they didn't make up the story, they just repeated what they heard. It was just the idea of his Akitsu being punished for something out of her control like she deserved it somehow that filled him with revulsion.

"It's alright. But please, try not to talk about these rumors around the other two. Karasuba might find the ones about her hilarious, but I don't know if Akitsu will feel the same way about hers."

Nodding their assent, the trio continued to walk home again in their happy bubble of contentment. At least until Minato had another thought strike him.

"How did people even find out about all of these events? All of it happened in private, was someone spying on us to publish a fanfiction accounting of what happened or something?"

* * *

"Sir, here's the latest report you asked for."

"Thank you, Natsuo-kun! That'll be all for today!"

As the black-suited young man bowed slightly and made his exit, Minaka stood on his usual perch at the very top of the massive MBI clocktower that towered over the rest of the city. Not one day went by that he didn't get a kick out of surveying the skyline from on high. He liked to think it gave him a better perspective on things and helped him keep the big picture in mind.

"Hmm, interesting, interesting." He hummed a jaunty tune as he flipped through the pages of the report.

Takami-chan used to bring him these with a lot better notations and in the precise detail he asked for too, but she had been oddly distant these past few days. Then again, he supposed injury would make anyone crankier. Natsuo-kun did his best, but he was no Takami-chan. For obvious reasons.

"Now what's this?"

A notation in the margins of the "Latest Wingings" section of the report drew his eye, and as soon as he finished scanning it, his face broke out into a giddy smile.

"Well, well. Minato-kun has winged Nos. 11 and 12 Hikari and Hibiki, hm?" He read aloud. "Ain't that a kick in the pants, Takehito?"

If he recalled correctly, Takehito had a special plan in mind for the Lightning Twins and a certain contractor friend of his. Now that Minato-kun had winged them instead, he was certain that scenario had gone out the window. And he didn't even have to lift a finger to do it!

All the better for him and the true Sekirei Plan though. Things were definitely going his way, but based on the sparse After Action Reports he had been getting, there was still room for improvement. The city had been quiet recently, far too quiet for his taste. Karasuba-chan's fight was supposed to have been a step in the right direction, encouraging people to get involved and brawl it out for glory. Sadly, people had been more terrified than inspired, but he was about to change all that.

He reached into his white coat and pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number.

"Natsuo-kun?" He grinned to himself. "Play the announcement."

* * *

**AN: Sorry again for getting this chapter out so late. I took the effort to give you all a longer chapter than usual to (somewhat) make up for it. As always, much love to the readers and reviewers who still follow this story.**

**I did want to take the time to address some of the reviews I've gotten for the previous chapter. While the majority of the comments regarding the last scenes featuring Minato and Homura/Kagari were either amusement or otherwise neutral, I was surprised to see so much borderline homophobic comments from a rather vocal minority as well. Of course you're all free to think and hold whatever personal beliefs you wish, I just don't want your narrow-minded prejudices in my story. I urge you all to keep an open mind when reading and avoid projecting any of your biases on the characters, especially when there isn't any grounds for it.**

**Hope you all enjoy my work regardless. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in a review.**


	6. The Madness Unbound

Chapter 6 – The Madness Unbound

* * *

When the Twins woke up that morning, they never expected their day to turn out the way it had.

It was supposed to have been a typical boring day at work — go in, dress up in ridiculous otaku fetish wear, take some orders, sing and dance, get ogled, silently endure lewd stares, clean up, go home, then eat the café's leftovers in their tiny one bedroom apartment. But everything in their miserable everyday lives turned upside down with the chance meeting of Minato, their fated one, as if straight out of a storybook.

They could hardly believe it happened, even while they walked side-by-side with him.

Even before they met Minato though, their lives shouldn't have been like that at all. Like every other of the Sekirei, they had each been issued an unlimited MBI Black Card before being released into Tokyo. It was intended to give them financial security while they got settled into a new life outside of the labs, so they had never really paid too much attention to the "socialization" classes they were all forced to attend.

Instead, because of some cruel twist of fate, they had never been issued their cards in the hustle and bustle of their initial release. By the time they realized, it had been too late to turn back and try to get what was rightfully theirs, not if unless they wanted to storm the heavily guarded compound by themselves without the benefit of an Ashikabi to unlock their full power. Without the safety nets of the MBI Black Cards, they quickly realized how harsh the outside world could be. The only way to survive was to have money and the only way to get money was to get a job. Unfortunately for them, it was nearly impossible for two girls without documentation or any kind of credentials (even as attractive as they were) to get any of the decent jobs out there. Their last resort had been to work at the café until Minato literally walked into their lives. Or at least when they first realized he walked into their lives.

Still, they were privately very pleased to have an Ashikabi like him wing them. With Minato, at least they had a proper home, comfortable standards of living, and a kind Ashikabi who greatly cared for them. Sure he was on the plain side of looks and sure he looked a little flaky, but they soon found out the depths of his sincerity, even though they spent only a short time talking to him to get to know the man they would be spending the rest of their lives with. Maybe he had some kind of secret, dark and tortured past that made him a lot more than first met the eye?

The walk back to their new home felt incredibly short because of Minato's easy laugh and frank personality. He really was nothing at all like what the rumors said about him. His passion and uniquely easy-going personality readily shown through in his every word and demeanor. You couldn't really fake the enthusiasm he felt for the simple things like finding a good deal on the way back home or verbally sparring with the old housewives at the market for the last sack of rice on sale. By the time they got back to the house, they had forgotten all of their earlier apprehension about sharing an Ashikabi with the infamous Karasuba and Akitsu. After all, if the tales about Minato had been greatly exaggerated, then the ones about his first two Sekirei had to be as well.

"Don't worry a thing about Karasuba and Akitsu," He reassured them as he fiddled with his keys on the doorstep. "They're the sweetest gals in the world, you'll all get along smashingly, trust me."

When he opened the door, not a single light seemed to be on inside. Only an eerie darkness peered back at the trio.

"Um, are you sure they're supposed to be at home right now?" Hikari asked nervously.

Her sister clasped her hand tightly, the both of them hiding behind their Ashikabi. Neither of the Lightning Twins did well with the dark. They would never admit it to anyone, but being around electricity the way they had with their powers made them used to being in well-lit areas. Darkness was unfamiliar to them, and new things especially made them anxious.

"Hello?" They heard Minato call out. "Karasuba? Akitsu? Anyone home?"

No response.

"That's odd. They told me they were going to be staying home the whole time."

As if on cue, a gravelly voice like sandpaper on gravestone rasped out from within the darkness.

"Aaaaaaaaaahh... Minato-sama..."

If the Twins weren't scared before, they were certainly terrified now. Clinging for dear life to Minato's back, they dared not even open their eyes in an almost childish belief that they could just ignore whatever hellish demonspawn lived within the house and it would go away. Their Ashikabi must have felt their trembling, pulling himself together and standing stiffly in harm's way for them.

"W-who's there? A-Akitsu, is that you?"

Faint panting crept into Hikari and Hibiki's ears, filling their thoughts with dread. Minato's house wasn't the safe haven he had made it out to be after all. If strong Sekirei like the Single Digit Karasuba and Akitsu couldn't survive whatever it was that now lurked in the house, what chance did mere _Double_ Digits like them stand?

"Minato..." A new voice replied in the same rasp as the first. "You're finally back…?"

They could very clearly feel Minato trembling as well, maybe even more violently than they were themselves. Hibiki cracked an eye open to peek at him and heard rather than saw him swallow deeply. He reached out a shaky hand to flick the lights on only to scream out loud.

"What the heck?!"

Hibiki snuck another brave peek out from behind her hands and visibly recoiled at the sight of two women dressed in loose white cotton robes, hair folded into white headdresses. Their faces shone with a pale green color that seemed to shimmer in the light. If ever there was a picture of a ghost or demon to be referenced, this would be it.

"GHOST!" she screamed in total panic.

"GHOST? WHAT? WHERE?" Hikari screamed back, whipped into a complete panic by her twin. She had yet to remove her hands from her eyes nor dared sneak a glance out from behind her eyelids. The slightly older of the Twins buried her face into Minato's back and clung onto him for dear life.

"Minato… You've got some explaining to do..." One of them rasped in that same terrible fear-inducing tone.

The other figure passed a glass of water to the first, which she seemed to take gratefully.

"Thanks, Akitsu." she coughed once to clear her throat. "Now where was I? Oh right, getting ready to pound some answers out of you."

"K-K-K-Karasuba?!" Minato sounded completely bewildered at the whole situation.

The figure who passed the glass of water took a sip herself before speaking herself.

"Ah. Minato-sama, who are your guests?"

"Akitsu?! What's going on here? Are you wearing… facial masks?"

The one Minato referred to as Karasuba leveled a death stare that could melt steel beams at Minato.

"Yes. We're wearing facial masks as part of our DIY spa treatment. Now answer the question."

"W-Why were your voices so raspy and spooky?"

"Akitsu wanted to try some spicy chips... and let's just say they were exactly as advertised. _Now answer the question_."

Minato dropped into a formal seiza position almost instantaneously at the tone in her voice. Of course, Hikari had no way of knowing that, only feeling a rush of displaced air as he slipped out of her grasp. She groped blindly in the air to try to find him, still too petrified to open her eyes.

"M-Minato? Where'd you go? Oh please don't tell me the ghosts got you!" She sounded near hysterical at this point. "Hibiki? Where are you? Did the ghosts get you too?! Hibiki!"

To her credit, Hibiki had recovered from the initial shock by the time the "ghosts" had been identified as Karasuba and Akitsu. But it was one thing to come face to face with a ghost and another entirely to be in the peripheral vision of The Black Sekirei's ire, especially when it sounded like you were the reason for it. She crept her way over to her twin, not daring to make any sudden movements in fear of drawing attention to herself. At the reassuring familiar touch of each other's hands, the twins stayed as quiet as possible and waited for judgment.

"I have no excuse." Minato admitted solemnly. "I know I said I wouldn't bring any more Sekirei home without your express permission, but… It just happened, they were reacting to me."

Karasuba's stormy expression conveyed no other indication of her thoughts. She discreetly glanced over at Akitsu, who nodded imperceptibly, before leveling a stern stare at her Ashikabi. Sighing once, she reached out and karate chopped his head.

"Ow?!"

"Do you remember what I said about Sekirei reactions and the winging process?"

Minato paused in his scalp massaging to look up at her, confusement written all over his face. "Yeah, that Sekirei couldn't really control who they reacted to and that it was a mysterious phenomenon not fully understood yet."

"Ah, Minato-sama. I think Karasuba means to say we are okay with it." Akitsu chimed in.

"Really?"

"Don't put words in my mouth." Karasuba lightly karate chopped the top of Akitsu's head too.

"But that's not a no?" he asked with some small hope of no further admonishment.

She doled out a firmer chop this time.

Hibiki and Hikari had no idea of knowing what the mood had become between the two senior Sekirei and their shared Ashikabi, not having been around any of them long enough to be able to read their tells. As such, even though they were pretty sure things were okay now, they still kept their mouths shut and stared wide-eyed at the whole scene. A slight chill went down their spines and they couldn't hold back an "eep" when Karasuba finally turned her gaze towards them. They froze like deer in the headlights.

"So are you two going to introduce yourselves to your seniors, or are we going to sit here and stare at each other until you remember how to speak?" She deadpanned dryly.

The twins shared a look of unease, gulping nervously before mustering the courage to speak up. The pink twin nudged her elder to go first.

"No. 11, Hikari. P-Pleased to meet you," She stuttered, her voice cracking a little from the nerves. "I'm an element type. Pleased to meet you."

"You said that twice." Karasuba chuckled.

Hikari flushed with embarrassment and stepped back, pushing her twin forward in her place.

"I'm No. 12, Hibiki!" She managed to squeeze out without a hitch, if not more high-pitched than her usual tone. "I'm also an element type!"

The two stood ramrod straight with their heads pointed forward as Karasuba circled them in an impromptu inspection. Clicking her tongue occasionally, they couldn't help but get the distinct impression that they were but chum to a great shark in the ocean or meat on a butcher's display tray.

"Element-types, huh?" The No. 04 Sekirei said finally.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" They replied in unison, not unlike privates answering their drill sergeant at line-up.

"What kind of element?"

"Lightning, ma'am!"

"Interesting. That'll be useful in a fight, no?"

"Very much, ma'am!"

"Have you _been_ in a fight yet?

"Only a couple skirmishes around the city, ma'am! Nothing serious, but we always won! Ma'am!"

"Hmm." she paused in her circling, coming back to the front and looking them in the eye. The Twins refused to give into temptation and look back at her. They knew better, opting to keep their eyes glued on the wall in front of them. "11 and 12, that's fairly close to the single digits. Are you as strong as your Numbers would indicate?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"I'll have to see for myself later, I suppose. And drop the 'ma'am'-ing, I'm not that old yet."

She turned and patted Minato on the shoulder, who had since gotten up and leaned lightly on Akitsu because of his numb legs.

"You at least know how to pick em, Minato," Karasuba grinned with what looked like approval. "Come on, Akitsu. Let's get cleaned up and dressed."

"Ah, coming."

As the both of them headed up the stairs, the Twins waited until the sound of a door closing indicated they were well out of earshot before weakly dripping to the floor. Their legs felt like jelly and the fatigue of the mental strain was exhausting.

"That went well, wouldn't you say?" Minato smiled thinly, and there was nothing more they wished to do than hit him.

It was a shame their legs weren't working properly or he would have gotten a better reply than an ugly groan.

* * *

Minato's first two Sekirei took a few moments upstairs before returning to the living room where he and the Twins waited. The latter two had been too exhausted to do much else but slink into the couch and lay in a heap on top of him. They had all been just about to doze off before Karasuba cleared her throat.

"Ahem."

He turned around from where he sat, coming face to face with a smooth navel. With embarrassment, he forced his eyes off the toned expanse and up into the bemused face of his silver-haired Sekirei. Karasuba and Akitsu had cleaned off the facial masks, and their faces looked refreshed and glowing from the treatment. The former was clad in a camisole that showed off a tantalizingly large swathe of her abdomen and a pair of dark grey sweatpants. The latter chose to wear one of his bigger t-shirts and a pair of blue pajama pants.

"Getting comfortable with your new Sekirei while your old ones are away?"

He flushed red at the insinuation, but more out of irritation than embarrassment. He couldn't believe Karasuba would think he would treat his Sekirei in such a scummy way!

"Karasuba, it's not like that at all!"

"Alright, alright," she said placatingly. Her hand ran through his hair and stroked his scalp just so in that particular way of hers that sent tingles down his whole body. "I was only teasing, you know."

At that moment, Minato felt more like a puddle of goo than a real human being at her touch. He only managed to breathe out an "Okay" before she snorted with amusement and stopped her ministrations. Akitsu came down just at that moment, a little confusement in her eyes.

"Ah," she paused at the top of the stairs with a cotton swab in her ear. "Is it time for our show yet?"

Minato checked his watch. It seemed despite the craziness of the whole day, they had been just in time to catch the next episode of Tokyo Noir.

Even with Minaka's insane announcement that night, the group had been able to stay up to date with the latest episode and were eagerly anticipating this week's installation. Kaneshima Minami had made her getaway from the botched stakeout of the Yamori gang's hideout, barely escaping with her life and just managing to get Yamamoto Ken to the hospital in time. Since then, the crime-fighting duo had thrown themselves into tracking down any leads they could find until they finally managed shut down branch after branch of the gang's operations.

Now, only one major stronghold of the organization remained, cornered at their mansion hideout. Just before the full might of the police force was due to storm the building, the two partners shared a tender moment. The last episode ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger where her partner brought her coffee, looking like he had something to say.

Minato looked down, noticing the Twins had made no movement to budge from their places on his lap. They must have fallen asleep without him noticing, so he debated on whether or not to wake them up. Karasuba more or less took the decision out of his hands, however.

She lightly jabbed them in their sides with her finger, startling them awake with a yelp.

"Wha-wha-what?!"

"Wazzamatter...?!"

The Black Sekirei gave them a firm stare, not quite a full glare but just enough to make her displeasure known.

"Tokyo Noir is about to start and you two are in _our _spots."

Akitsu backed it up with a forceful nod, clutching at a small hug pillow in her quiet way. She pointed to Minato's side where one of the Twins was currently occupying.

"Ah. My spot."

"Did you say Tokyo Noir?" Hibiki mumbled groggily.

"That's our—" Hikari yawned. "—favorite show!"

_"Well this is a pleasant surprise,"_ Minato thought to himself.

If the Twins liked the show as much as the rest of he and his Sekirei did, it would go a long way towards making them feel more at home! There was nothing like a couple of shared interests to make fast friends, right?

"That's all well and good, but shoo-shoo. Akitsu and I have dibs."

Karasuba squeezed in between Hikari and Minato like a wedge, driving the two apart and reclaiming her usual spot on his left side. She laid her head down on his lap and made herself comfortable. Akitsu must have been emboldened by Karasuba's example, following her lead and simply squeezing Hibiki out of the way with her body. Clinging on to his right arm, she made no effort (or at least pretended to make no effort) to notice the shocked glances of either twin who now lay flopped on the floor.

"H-hey now, girls... There's no need for rough-housing..." He tried to keep the peace to stop any resentment from taking root.

"W-well fine, I guess." Hikari pouted. "Hibiki and I are fine here anyway!"

After a shared nod between them, the twin sisters each curled up around Minato's legs like a pair of cats. It probably wasn't the same as the intimacy of his side or his lap, but it looked like it suited them just fine all the same. He couldn't help but feel a little bad for them though, but what could he do against Karasuba _and_ Akitsu combined? He might try to bring it up another time, but for now he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible for someone who found himself buried in the fairer sex.

…

After the opening credits played, the camera panned over a long shot of the rooftop of the police headquarters where Kaneshima Minori sat smoking a cigarette. She had always loved coming here to relax and destress, and now, before the eve of the biggest police operation in the past 30 years, was no exception.

She looked up to the sound of the rusty door creaking open, only slightly surprised to see her young protege carrying two cups of some kind of steaming hot beverage.

"Kaneshima-senpai," Ken greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

Minori made a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgment and waved him over. Ken grinned in that easy-going boyish way of his and sat down beside her on the rickety air vent.

"What's that you've got there?" She asked him.

"Coffee. Just the way you like it."

"Straight black?"

"Would it be 'just the way you like it' if it were any other way?" he joked.

"Humph," she pouted as she impatiently held out her hand. "The coffee at the station tastes like shit anyway."

"Actually, I got these at that coffee shop I was telling you about the other day." Ken smiled. "You should give it a try before you pass judgment."

He handed her the coffee, and after a suspicious inspection, she hesitantly took a sip. The only reason why she took her coffee black was because no amount of additional flavoring was going to make that awful mess the station called coffee any more palatable. To her surprise, this was a great brew light-years beyond anything she had ever tasted before.

"Not bad," she said finally. "Not bad…"

The duo sat in a comfortable silence, pausing only to sip on their coffee on occasion. The only sounds surrounding them were the hustle and bustle of the city below them, the whistle of the cold night air as it whipped overhead. She couldn't help but notice her rookie begin to fidget suddenly, his whole posture practically screaming that he wanted to say something. Minori didn't want to force him to respond, so she waited and pretended not to see anything.

"Senpai," Ken started to say after a while, the nerves he felt written all over his face. "How do you feel about this whole thing?"

"This whole what?"

"The operation."

"What about it?"

"It's the largest police operation in over 30 years, or so the other guys have been telling me."

"And what else have they been telling you?" She smirked into her coffee, fixing him with a cocked eyebrow stare.

"That despite our best efforts to keep this under wraps, Yamori's gang are likely to suspect that something's up."

"And?" Minori prodded. She knew there was something more to this line of questioning, her instincts picking up on his body language and evasive answers.

"And that we're probably looking at heavy casualties. They're not going down easy, especially now that we've got them cornered like rats. Yamori's got to have one last ace up his sleeve."

She set her coffee down and looked at him seriously.

"Are you afraid?"

Ken looked taken aback.

"N-No! Of course not! I mean—"

Minori said nothing, only continued to look at him curiously. He took a deep breath and sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Okay, yes. I am afraid. Not of dying or anything, but of seeing my comrades get hurt."

"Are you underestimating the men and women of our force?"

"No, of course not! I just—"

"Then why are you assuming that we'll get hurt, or worse, get killed? Don't patronize me with those kinds of thoughts. Have some faith in your comrades and trust that we know what we're doing."

"It's not that, I—"

"'I' what?" She said, more than a little irritated now. She trained him to be better than this!

"I don't want to see _you_ get hurt! Even the thought of it makes me feel ill! You mean too much to me to have some thug gun you down in cold blood or worse!"

It was Minori's turn to be taken aback.

"You're the sharpest member of the force, able to kick my ass three ways to Sunday, drink anyone under the table, and still look look like a million bucks in uniform. You're easily irritated, you take nonsense, but you're still the kind of gal who can't go without your beloved anime collectables. And, Inspector Kaneshima Minori, I'm in love with you."

...

The lights suddenly flickered erratically before going out entirely, shutting down the TV and plunging the room into darkness. Karasuba loudly swore and Akitsu huffed softly from her nose, one of the only telltale signs of her irritation.

"W-what's going on?!" Hikari stuttered nervously. She and her twin clung a little tighter to Minato's legs.

"Wait, didn't something like this happen just before—" Minato started but was interrupted by an abrupt sound of fanfare playing from every electronic screen in the house.

"Why hello there, people of Tokyo!" The familiar face of the white-garbed mastermind appeared in all of his mad eccentricity.

"It's certainly been a while since the last time we spoke! Tell me, how goes your participation in the Sekirei Plan? None of you seem like you're interested in eternal fame, fortune, glory, and power... Or you would have done something to seize it for yourself by now!"

The camera panned out as he swept his hands over the skyline, grinning wildly like he was some kind of ringmaster for a grand circus.

"This entire city is your playground and yet, with the notable exception of the ever lovely Karasuba-chan, none of you have seen fit to play in it!" Minaka shook his head in mock disappointment.

The Twins whipped their heads around in trepidation when they heard the Sekirei in question mutter lowly under her breath from her spot on the couch. Karasuba looked very obviously irritated, no, downright pissed for lack of a better expression. It didn't take a Sekirei bond for him to see that. Minato slid his hand in hers and squeezed lightly, hoping to calm her down a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed them turn back to the TV with some embarrassment, not wanting to intrude on an intimate moment between the two.

"In order to spice things up a bit in an effort to kickstart this little game into action, I've decided to create a special event of sorts for you to take advantage of!"

A large map of Tokyo appeared on screen as Minaka continued, a bright red dot glowing on the center.

"As you may or not have noticed, the lovely arboretum in the central sector of the city has become overgrown with wild growth. At the center of the forest, where a massive tree towers over the rest, you will find the prize! A Sekirei lies in wait for the first brave soul who makes it there in one piece, her powers will be yours for the taking!"

He pointed to the top right corner of the screen just as a picture of a young blonde girl with long shaggy hair popped up next to his finger.

"That bastard!" Minato shouted, leaping to his feet with rage.

The whole room gaped at him, shocked at his uncharacteristic outburst. Hibiki and Hikari may not have known him for as long, but even they could tell Minato wasn't the type to even raise his voice ever, let alone curse. From the looks on Karasuba and Akitsu's face, they weren't reassured by how it seemed neither of them had witnessed something like this before either. The two seniors of the flock laid calming hands on his back in concern.

"Ah, what is the matter, Minato-sama?" Akitsu asked gently.

Minato practically quivered with frustrated anger.

"That's Kuu!" He clenched his fists knuckle-white. "She needed my help, she was alone and scared, and now he wants to make her a prize?!"

"I highly encourage all of you to participate!" Minaka continued unperturbed. "Those of you yet to wing a Sekirei have the opportunity to brave unknown dangers and obstacles to wing a powerful one to get you started, and those of you fortunate enough to have winged Sekirei already get a chance to grow your flock! Everyone has a shot but only one can win!"

The camera zoomed into his face as his glasses reflected the moonlight, casting his face into eerie shadow.

"Now, who will emerge victorious? I look forward to finding out!"

Cackling filled the air from Minaka's gleeful face before the broadcast cut out as abruptly as it had began. A terse silence filled the air with unease. Minato paced the room in a storm of quiet frustration. He could feel the concern of his Sekirei in the back of his head through the bond, but he was too wound up to consciously acknowledge it. The Twins grew dizzy just watching him, and combined with their inexperience with the emotional feedback of the bond, almost became nauseous from all of the wild thoughts whipping through their Ashikabi's head. Finally, after quite some time, he stopped and spoke up.

"I don't think it's right that Kuu is being held hostage and presented as some kind of prize in this sick game," he started passionately. "I want to save her, give her the chance to choose her own destiny rather than have her freedom stolen and her life irrevocably altered."

Karasuba scoffed, drawing scandalized looks from the rest of the Sekirei gathered. She ignored them and stood up, walking over to put herself face-to-face with their Ashikabi.

"Is that what you truly want, Minato?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded his head firmly. "Yes."

"Do you have the strength and conviction to see this through to the end?"

Another emphatic nod. "Yes, absolutely."

The Black Sekirei's lips split into a wry smile, turning and heading for the stairs without another word.

"W-wait, Karasuba?" Hikari sputtered. "Where are you going?"

"Getting dressed more appropriately. Aren't we going to that arboretum?" She cocked her head mid-way up the stairs with a quizzical look on her face.

"Ah..." Akitsu nodded and made her way to the stairs as well.

"H-Huh?" Hibiki was thoroughly confused, a look and feeling mirrored perfectly in her twin's face.

"As much as I hate volunteer work, especially babysitting and rescue of the weak, I have no choice if my Ashikabi wills it."

"Karasuba, I..."

"No, Minato." She silenced him with a firm hand raised. "Once you've made a decision, commit to it. Use that conviction of yours to see things through until the end. Isn't that why you've chosen to wing all of these Sekirei?"

The No. 04 Sekirei paused on the way up the stairs, turning around to address the Twins who still looked shell shocked from the events rapidly unfolding before them.

"Come on, you two should get ready as well. Akitsu will show you to your new room."

They nodded numbly and trailed after her like ducklings to their mother. If the mood wasn't so serious, Minato might have laughed aloud at the sight of it.

Instead, all he could think of was the countdown that had begun with Minaka's announcement. The bastard had no doubt specifically picked the exact moment when the most viewers in Tokyo were tuned into their televisions for the night. Who knows how many had seen it or had been forced to see it when he took over the airwaves? One thing was for sure, there were an untold amount of people, Ashikabi or otherwise, who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of a young girl like Kuu. They needed to move quickly or they would be too late to reach her before anyone else could.

He was going to save her, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Despite her words to the contrary to Minato earlier, Karasuba was rather conflicted on how she felt about the new additions to his flock.

On a more pragmatic objective level, she could see the value of having more combat strength in numbers. The fact that they were so highly numbered was only icing on the cake. Did she have some reservations about their being element users? Maybe. Even though most of the first 10 (and generally the strongest 10) were element users, she still couldn't help but think the feeling of cold steel was a better way to fight than their usual patterns. Still, it was concrete proof that her Ashikabi was both strong enough to support all of his Sekirei and strong enough to attract them in the first place.

On the other hand, she hated having to share Minao between yet more Sekirei. It was somewhat manageable with _one_ other since she knew Akitsu, and their personalities at least got along well. But these new girls were yet more wild cards for her to learn to deal with, and splitting his attention 4 ways was not something she looked forward to. She laid claim to him first, damn it! At the rate he was going, there would be a whole houseful of other Sekirei for her to compete with!

Especially since they were now set to go rescue another one from the overgrown arboretum. Minato was being exceptionally naive if he thought he could just waltz in and rescue this Kuu girl so she could wing whoever she wanted. From the way he described it, the girl was reacting to him already! Yet another Sekirei to join the flock and she was personally making sure it happened. His bleeding heart idealist's mentality was starting to rub off on her if she was willing to along with this nonsense.

But then again, a small part of her couldn't help but remind her it was that same bleeding heart that led him to her in the first place. Without him, she didn't know what she would do with her life. It was alarming how dependent she had become on him, no matter how many times she thought about it. She had to wonder though — was it her specifically that he cared about and reached out to or did he just do that for anyone? As much as she wanted to know for certain, the answer to that question scared her almost as much as the thought of losing him did. Would it upset the delicate status quo she had carved out of her past failures?

_"He doesn't see you any differently than those other whores he's brought home,"_ the murmurs breathed into the dark crevasses of her mind. _"Take your destiny back into your own hands before you grow soft and weak..."_

Karasuba had been remarkably clear-headed and free of the nightmares and thoughts in her head for the past few weeks, the first time in what felt like forever that she could say that. It wasn't until the encounter with Miya that reopened old wounds did she start to get them again. The arrival of the Twins did not make things any easier. She itched for a fight, anything to clear her head and work the rising bloodrage out of her system before she turned it towards someone she didn't mean to.

_"Don't lie to yourself and pass the blame... You would have done it sooner or later, this merely facilitates the process..."_

Maybe she would get that fight sooner than later, especially if the massed crowds around the arboretum were anything to go by. It seemed as if Minaka's second announcement was enough to finally galvanize the populace into action. A huge mob of people swarmed the makeshift cordon that MBI erected around the perimeter, no doubt to keep most of the riffraff at bay and allow only the strong through. As they grew closer to the crush of people, they could hear the angry buzzing at the indignity of it all.

"Let us through!"

"What kind of an open game is this?!"

"Fuck MBI!"

The entitlement of the bottom-feeder weaklings of the city sickened her to be honest. It was less because of the fact that they were demanding access to go hunt down a little girl and more because they were demanding someone answer for their own shortcomings. If they had been smarter, more powerful, more cunning, they could have figured out a way to get past the cordon. Instead, they chose to beg for handouts.

"What the hell is this?" Minato swore.

She raised an eyebrow at his uncharacteristically foul tongue. The whole idea of curse words coming from Minato's mouth was equal parts intriguing and thrilling to her. Her normally mild-mannered Ashikabi rarely lost his temper, so seeing him so fired up honestly excited her. Maybe she could convince him to bring this passion to... more aspects of his life later?

"How are we going to get past this MBI blockade _and_ all of these people?" He asked.

"We should keep biding our time and wait for a good opportunity to slip through!" One of the Twins, the purple-clad one whose name she couldn't quite tell apart from the other (Hi- something?), suggested helpfully.

A sound suggestion, she supposed, if not a boringly safe one. She was hoping someone would just want to charge straight through, the far more appealing and interesting option in her opinion. Why waste time milling about when they could just skip right to the action and get something done?

As if answering her prayers, a loud explosion rocked the area and sent a pillar of smoke into the air.

"What the...?!" She heard Minato mutter in shock.

A large group of what could only be Sekirei made their presence known on the far side of the cordon. At this distance, it was difficult to make out just who it was that had the metaphorical brass balls to go toe to toe with MBI. One of them must have been using a megaphone or something because her voice was amplified enough to ring out clearly over the commotion.

"Clear the way, peasants! That Sekirei is the rightful property of our master, Higa Izumi! To stand in our way is a declaration of war on the East!"

What in the world were they going on about? Karasuba was more confused by the whole spectacle than anything. Who was this Higa person? He had to be some kind of powerful person to have winged several Sekirei. Ashikabi like Minato were the exception, not the rule — most only winged one at best. If he were a strong enough Ashikabi to have pulled so many to his side, surely he was a worthy enough foe for her Minato? "Opposing" him, or whatever those idiots were rambling about would be right up her alley and Minato wouldn't even disagree. She loved it when life had a way of working things out in win-win scenarios for her.

No sooner had she thought that did another explosion rocked the area, sending the mob into a panicked frenzy. It looked like some those Higa-affiliated Sekirei had burst through the blockade, sending a small but steady trickle of people into the forest at will. Whatever they had done to cause the commotion, it was spreading the MBI forces thin. Men were pulling away from the area nearest to Team Minato, attempting to reinforce the far side and restore order. If they wanted to get into that forest, now was the time to act.

"Minato," she started, putting a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. He pulled the rest of his Sekirei into an impromptu group huddle before letting her continue. "Those Sekirei over there have made a big enough distraction that the cordon on our side has thinned out considerably. If we wanted to get through, this is as good a time as any."

"Isn't it still a little risky? There's still a lot of guards there, I don't want to run the risk of anyone getting hurt."

Karasuba couldn't help but smile wryly at that. There he went again with that naive line of thinking again.

"Don't be silly. The moment we left the house, we knew we were running that risk anyway. Besides, don't you have faith in our ability?"

"Ah. We are strong." Akitsu spoke up calmly. A certain fire smouldered in her eyes as Karasuba nodded approvingly.

"You might not know it yet, but we're pretty tough too!" The pink clad twin (Hibaki?) chimed in, her sister echoing the sentiment.

Minato looked sheepishly flustered at his Sekirei's responses.

"I didn't mean to doubt you or anything!" He defended himself. "I just don't like the idea of you all getting hurt because of me."

"Minato, we all chose to be here. We'll be fine." Hikaru (?) chimed in reassuringly.

She honestly should have expected this kind of response from him, but it still caught her a bit off guard over how protective he was being. Stupid bleeding heart.

_"Why don't you make that expression a reality? You know you want to, just indulge already..."_

She grasped her hair by the roots, pretending to just casually run her hand through it. No matter, this actually worked out to her advantage...

"How about this, Minato. I will stay behind and cause a separate distraction by attacking the barricade. While the guards are... occupied, use the opportunity to slip in unharmed and undetected."

It was a perfect plan: he could ensure the safety of the majority of his Sekirei and she could get her much needed "work out" without him seeing it. Win-win for everyone.

"No, I—"

Karasuba silenced his protests with a raised hand.

"There's no time to waste. The longer you dilly dally here, the bigger head start those Higa Sekirei and all the other trash that slipped through the cordon get on you."

Minato still looked conflicted, but the cold logic she presented couldn't be denied. Maybe it was a little manipulative of her, but she had his best interest in mind. Mostly.

"Alright, Karasuba. I want you to promise me you'll stay safe and won't do anything reckless, alright? We're all coming home together and I'll make you all your favorite curry."

A small smile, genuine and pleased, sprang unbidden to her lips.

"I'm the strongest there is, remember?"

Almost as an afterthought, she smirked and quickly grabbed him by the back of the head. They touched foreheads briefly before she stole a searing kiss from him. Massive wings of jet black light burst from her back with a mighty flap. Unlike the previous kisses they had shared, the wings didn't immediately disappear. She had wanted to try activating her Norito to be honest, but he didn't need to know that.

A surge of energy filled her every vein, giving her a heady rush of adrenaline throughout her system. Her vision sharpened and brought even the finest details into sharp focus. Every one of her senses felt magnified and heightened beyond anything she had experienced before. A wild grin sprang to her lips. This must have been what _she_ meant by the power only the bond between Ashikabi and Sekirei could bring. It was glorious.

"A kiss for good luck," she breathed into his ear before running headlong into the crowd.

Karasuba leapt into the thick of it, landing with a flourish of her trusty nodachi. It still remained sheathed — she had told Minato she wouldn't kill. In a flurry of strikes, she beat her way through the mass of people and left a swathe of broken limbs and screams of panicked pain in her wake. Her objective was still to cause as much noise and draw as much attention as possible, who really cared how she went about doing it? At least it was working — a large chunk of the guards tried to make their way to her and stop the frenzy. As if mere humans could stop her rampage. Their departure left a decent-sized hole in the line but she hardly spared a thought to it, more caught up in the moment of her favorite past-time.

_"And you thought you could turn over a new leaf and pretend to be someone you weren't. _This_ is the true you. The sooner you decide to stop fighting it, the happier you'll be."_

Out of the corner of her eye, she barely noted the 4 figures of Minato and his remaining Sekirei overwhelming the remaining guards and bursting through into the forest. On some conscious level, she acknowledged that she had done her job and got them through according to plan, but that was becoming increasingly difficult to bring to mind. A sense of almost drunken disorientation began to come over her and yet she never felt more alive. Her senses felt sharper than ever, her reaction speeds lighting-fast. She was in peak condition, running high on the intoxicating fumes of blood and fear.

_"You're wasting your time on these cockroaches. You need worthy opponents..."_

Almost off of pure instinct, she turned her wild gaze to the cluster of Sekirei on the opposite side of the field from her. Karasuba licked her lips eagerly at the thought of engaging them in battle. It was all for Minato, wasn't it? The less Sekirei able to enter the forest, the less opposition he had to face in there. The less Sekirei he had to face in the future, the safer he would be and the more time she could spend with him.

She wanted more, no, _needed_ more.

"By the blade of my pledge, I will exterminate the sworn enemies of my Askikabi."

* * *

Akitsu may not have been the most socially capable person, nor could she claim to be a particularly attuned person, but even she could tell there was something off about Karasuba.

It wasn't that the No. 04 Sekirei was overtly different, or that she was behaving out of character. It was more of a feeling that Karasuba was more… on edge lately. She had always kept her blade nearby, but recently she had been keeping it even closer to her and never out of reach. Of course, these were all anecdotal evidence and nothing concrete. Any number of things could explain her odd behavior and mood, so Akitsu didn't want to bring anything up. It wouldn't do to alarm Minato-sama or needlessly antagonize Karasuba.

Still, leaving the infamous Black Sekirei behind to hold the line didn't quite sit right with Akitsu. She was just a _little _too eager to volunteer herself into the most dangerous role, and one guaranteed to see action at that. Akitsu didn't want to think ill of her Sister Bonded, but she suspected Karasuba had ulterior motives. She just couldn't think of what those might be.

Her introspective mood must have bled through the bond because the Twins seemed uneasy and nervous themselves as they all trekked deeper into the forest. The Ice Sekirei didn't know what to say to alleviate the mood. Usual social protocol would suggest she try a joke or a lighthearted story, but she didn't know any good ones to tell. Karasuba had laughed _at_ rather than _with_ her the last time she tried and told her never to tell those again.

"Hey," Minato-sama spoke up suddenly. "I know you're all probably nervous about Karasuba, but I know she'll be okay. She's the strongest there is, you know!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

None of the three remaining Sekirei really had anything to say to that. Of course they all knew how strong the infamous Black Sekirei was. The stories of her exploits and power preceded her by a long shot. It was just something about the way they parted that put them off. Akitsu didn't know if anyone else noticed, but there was an almost… _feral_ grin on Karasuba's lips as she turned to jump into the mob. It gave her the chills to see at the time, and even now remembering it brought goosebumps rising all along her arms.

"Besides, if there's anything I know about Karasuba, and I know a lot about her, it's that she can't resist my home cooking! She wouldn't let herself miss curry night for anything, I guarantee it."

Akitsu wasn't so sure anymore. She felt like she had to say something at this point, no matter what the consequences. Minato-sama had to know about —

*BOOM*

Any thoughts she had strung together were dispelled by a massive explosion behind them. Hibiki (or was it Hikari?) screamed aloud in shock, jumping onto Minato-sama in panic. There was no fire, no smoke, only the sudden displacement of air and a rapid sense of impending danger. She knew this sensation, she had felt it once before when they had run into the No. 01 Sekirei… This was the feeling of Karasuba's massive killing intent. For it to be so potent and tangibly present did not bode well for her suspicions regarding her most senior Sekirei.

"W-what was that?" Hikari (or was it Hibiki?) shouted. "That sounded like it came from where we just came from!"

The three Sekirei felt the surge of panic through the bond from Minato-sama as he came to the same conclusion as well.

"That's gotta be Karasuba! Something's wrong, we have to go back and help her!"

Minato-sama turned to run back in the direction of the explosion, but she stood in his path with arms spread wide.

"Akitsu?!" he shouted, bewildered. "What are you doing, we've got to help Karasuba!"

"Ah, Minato-sama! You cannot!" she shouted back. "Karasuba stayed behind for your sake! Do not let her efforts go in vain!"

He grimaced with indecision, balling up his fists tightly. She could feel the frustration and anxiety roll off him in waves through the bond, but she had to stand strong. Karasuba wouldn't have wanted them to turn around.

"Minato-sama," she spoke more softly this time, grabbing him by the hands and trying to unclench his fists. "We must make haste. There are other Sekirei and Ashikabi in the forest with us, and they are not as well-intentioned as you."

He gripped her hands tightly, not enough to be painful but firmer than he would normally hold her hands with. Minato-sama sighed once, and nodded his head.

"You're right, Akitsu. I'm sorry. We should keep going."

To his credit, he only looked back once before squaring his shoulders and continuing forward. He walked a little ways ahead of his Sekirei, apparently alarming the Twins. They looked nervously between each other, turning to Akitsu for her lead. Hibiki and Hikari both nodded once in Minato-sama's direction, no doubt just as worried about him as she was. However, all she could offer was to discretely shake her head to dissuade them from approaching him yet. He needed some time to clear his head and regain his focus. Minato-sama would come back to them when he was good and ready, as he always did.

It honestly took her a little off guard to have someone (or someones) ask her for help or advice. Not to say that it was unwelcome, only that it was more unfamiliar than anything. Still, there wasn't much she could do or say in this particular situation. The best thing for now was to press forward and hope for the best.

However, they had gotten not much farther when a voice suddenly rang out over from the forest canopy.

"You there! Turn around this instant and go back where you came from!"

Akitsu, Hibiki, and Hikari instantly took up a defensive perimeter around Minato-sama, their heads on a swivel to look for the source of the voice. Akitsu took point while the Twins took flanking position on either side of him. From the overhead tree branches, a pair of Sekirei dropped down and stood imperiously before them to block the path forward. One was a tall woman with long dark green hair and blue eyes. She wore a blue and white tight belly-top that revealed quite some cleavage, the Sekirei Crest displayed on her left breast, dark long gloves, stockings hold by a garter over her bloomers, and thigh length boots. Over her shoulders rested a long metal staff, casually held in place by her slung over arms.

The other was just as tall with dark brown hair less than an inch long, framing her skull closely. She wore a purple, yellow, and black outfit that wrapped around her and held together by a small metal ring right below her breasts. Portions of her midriff, her sides, her arms, even the outer portions of her thighs were exposed, while the rest was checkered back and forth with purple and yellow. She too wore long black thigh high boots and short black gloves, but seemed to carry no other weapon.

"Who are you?!" Minato-sama shouted at them.

"Hmph! I am No. 16, Toyotama!" The green-haired one snorted pompously.

"And I am No. 18, Ichiya!" The short-haired one said with a stomp of her boot. "We serve Higa-sama, of the East. We won't repeat ourselves again — turn back now and no one will have to get hurt."

Minato-sama stepped out from behind Akitsu, squaring his shoulders in defiance.

"I can't do that. You're here for Kuu, aren't you?"

"Kuu? You mean No. 108? She is the property of Higa-sama, and we are tasked with bringing her back to him." Toyotama declared.

That was all Akitsu needed to hear. She discreetly signaled behind her back with a flick of her wrist to alert Hibiki and Hikari to her plan. There was no real time to explain more elaborately. Time was of the essence and surprise was her most important weapon at the moment. She quickly spun in place, sweeping Minato-sama behind her back and blasting a wave of ice shards with two rapid thrusts of her hands towards the enemy Sekirei.

"Icicle Storm!"

Toyotama and Ichiya barely had time to react to the sudden attack, dodging with the merest slivers of room to spare.

"How dare you attack—!" Ichiya started before she was forced to shut up and dodge a bolt of lightning, narrowly missing her head.

"How did you like our Flash of the Thunder God?" Hikari (or was it?) cackled gleefully.

Akitsu, Hibiki, and Hikari quickly split up Higa's two Sekirei, the former taking Toyotama and the latter two taking Ichiya. In an effort to try to keep them separated, Akitsu created an ice wall between the two that seemed to work well enough for now.

"Attacking us is a declaration of war against the East!" Toyotama snarled in anger. "We'll wipe you out here and still get that miserable brat for our master!"

"Ah. We shall see." Akitsu replied simply.

With a loud battle cry, Toyotama leapt into the air for an overhead strike with her staff.

"Titan's Impact!"

Akitsu leapt to the side to dodge, retaliating with a quick blast of frozen air. Toyotama crashed into the forest floor unperturbed with a boom, leaving a large impact crater in her wake. Akitsu raised a brow in mild concern as she continued kiting the staff-wielder around the trees. The terrain was definitely to her advantage, preventing the staff-wielding Sekirei from leveraging her speed and power in the straightforward blows her staff favored. She was free to sling ice blast after ice blast whenever Toyotama managed to find a clear path at her. As strong as the No. 07 was, her forte was more medium- to long-range fighting. Although the dense tree cover didn't make things particularly difficult one way or the other, it was still a great deal easier than fighting in an open clearing. She didn't want to take any of those high-powered blows head-on if she could help it.

That being said, Akitsu wasn't exactly hard-pressed to keep her at bay as she initially thought she would be. Compared to Karasuba's hellish training regimen and relentless sparring sessions, the staff-wielder was wholly outclassed by the Black Sekirei's speed and power. It almost felt like Toyotama was moving through molasses rather than the speed she was used to. There was no doubt in her mind that without Karasuba's influence, she would have been overwhelmed by Toyotama's attacks. Still, she couldn't keep this pace up forever. It became clear to her that she needed to end her here as soon as possible before Toyotama wore her down and closed the gap.

A cloud of frosty air condensed between her palms as she concentrated her powers. It was more difficult than it usually would be because she had to do so while running and dodging Toyotama's relentless assault. Thankfully Karasuba had beat the importance of being able to multi-task and defend while preparing for an opportunity to strike, something she mentally added to the list of things to be grateful to her for.

"Stand and fight me, you coward!" Toyotama shouted with frustration. "Stop running like a scared rat!"

Akitsu couldn't help but scoff a bit under her breath. No one was stupid enough to go blow for blow with someone when they were clearly disadvantaged to do so. No matter, she would end this soon enough. Once she had accumulated the necessary energy, she leapt backwards as far as she could to buy time. Toyotama didn't seem to pursue immediately as Akitsu had expected, something that only worked to her advantage. The Ice Sekirei then clapped her hands together and separated them. As her hands pulled away from each other, an array of long, jagged spears of ice spread around her body in a ring facing outwards. With a single mental command, the ring began to spin, slowly at first and accelerating rapidly until it seemed to blur into a solid circle.

It was finally time to launch a proper counter-attack of her own.

"Frost Lance!"

Toyotama's eyes widened as she belatedly realized the danger she was in, trying to now rapidly close the gap before Akitsu could do anything.

"Shit!"

Spear after spear launched at the enemy, arcing in random parabolas to keep her guessing. Toyotama stopped in her tracks to defend. She managed to block or dodge a few at first but the sheer amount and velocity of the ones brought to bear against her were too much for her to handle. Several large gashes ripped through her upper arms and legs, and a particularly lucky shot left a spear embedded in her thigh.

With a roar of pain and fury, Toyotama ripped it out and crushed it in her hand. Bloody chunks of ice fell to the ground where she stomped them into the forest floor.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" She snarled, spinning her staff with a flourish. Charging head-on again, she executed a spinning blow that threw her whole body into the rotation. "Titan's Storm!"

Akitsu nearly let an expletive of her own at the sight of a whirling maelstrom of sure death bear down on her at rapid speed. She wasn't sure if she could dodge properly, so the only defensive option left to her was to take it head on. Hastily gathering as much energy as possible, she summoned a triple layer of icy walls at least 2 meters thick and 4 meters high.

"Ice Rampart!"

They didn't come up a moment too soon — Toyotama came crashing into them almost as they finished forming. The force of the blow sent a loud crack through the air, but the walls just barely stood strong. The end of the staff ripped through most of the ice layers and lay embedded in it still. She tried to wrest her weapon free of its icy sheath to no immediate avail.

If the walls hadn't been quite as thick or quite as high, Toyotama would have bashed her head in with her attack. Akitsu's heart thudded painfully from the rush of adrenaline at the realization. The deep wound in her thigh must have slowed her down or otherwise prevented her from using enough force to make it a lethal strike. Still, she wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity pass her by. This played right into the Ice Sekirei's plans.

"This is over! Ice Prison!"

Akitsu clapped both hands together, channeling her powers to snare Toyotama in place as she stille tried to dislodge her weapon from the frozen rampart. The staff-wielder's feet froze to the ground as ice began to creep its way up her legs and from the wall around her to encase her fully in a frozen pillar. Toyotama screamed in panic, finally managing to rip her staff free, but by that point it was far too late. She beat futilely at the crystals to try and stop their relentless encroachment until her movement was completely stopped. Nothing but a twisted grimace of terror and rage stared back at the No. 07 Sekirei.

Opponent now dispatched, she spared a quick glance over to where Hibiki and Hikari were both maneuvering Ichiya around the forest and simultaneously keeping trying Minato-sama safe. It seemed like they were as good as they had bragged earlier, managing to keep Ichiya on the back foot with near-constant barrages of electricity bolts. She turned to run over and assist them. Hopefully they could keep up this momentum and disable the No. 18 Sekirei before Minato-sama got—

"You can't afford to look away in a fight with me!"

_"How did she break free?!"_

A massive blow nearly caved her head in before Akitsu leapt backwards just in time to dodge, her heart pounding with the adrenaline of a close shave. She thought Toyotama was trapped and unable to get out of her prison! Akitsu threw a wild glance at the place she had locked the No. 16 down. Nothing but frozen rubble remained of it. She must have brute forced her way out somehow! Karasuba was going to eviscerate her if she found out Akitsu didn't take the time to properly finish off an opponent and make sure she was down permanently before taking her eyes off her.

Toyotama was right, she was far too strong of an opponent to take lightly. If this was anything to go by, they wouldn't be able to defeat Higa's Sekirei easily. Every moment they spent trying to do so was too much time wasted here, and she doubted they would be able to do so without taking drastic measures. Any number of unknown enemies would make it to Kuu before they did. There was only one option left to them now for the best chance of success.

She slowly backed up, keeping her eyes squarely on Toyotama, until she bumped straight into Minato-sama who gently caught her with his arms around her middle. Flushing because of the intimate contact, she spun around and grabbed him as she jumped over to where the Twins stood their ground.

"Ah, Minato-sama," She said, reaching for his hand once they landed. She threw out a lance of ice that crashed into Toyotama's guard with the other. "You must go on without me. I will remain here to hold them off. There is no time left to waste here!"

Her Ashikabi widened his eyes in shock, squeezing her hand with a surge of urgency and horror she felt through the bond like a sledgehammer to her gut. Her frosty resolve cracked and she nearly changed her mind because of it. But she knew there was no other way, not if she wanted to make sure Minato-sama would be able to fulfill his objectives.

"No, I can't do that! First Karasuba, and now you? What's gotten into you all?"

Hibiki and Hikari took up an awkward position in front of the two of them, bodily positioning themselves between Toyotama and Ichiya. Higa's Sekirei had regrouped and took cover behind a couple of trees, presumably to plan their next move. The Lightning Twins grasped each other's hands tightly, using their free ones to toss out lightning bolts to zone the enemy's' heads down and firmly under cover.

"Did you just volunteer to stay behind to hold these crazy Sekirei off by yourself?" Hikari (she was sure that was the purple one's name) shouted incredulously. "That's a suicide mission!"

"I agree! I'm not saying Karasuba was any less off her rocker when she volunteered, but at least she's the damn Black Sekirei!" Hibiki (by process of elimination, the pink one had to be her) yelled. "No offense, but can you handle these two by yourself?"

"There is no other option left to us!" Akitsu insisted with urgency in her voice. "You two have to be together to get the most out of your powers, no?"

"Well, yes, but—!"

"No buts! We are wasting time. Minato-sama is safer with the two of you anyway, the numbers advantage you give him should dissuade most attackers, and together you make a strong enough duo to protect him if need be!"

"Akitsu, I can't let you do this! I don't want to lose you any more than I want to lose Karasuba! The two of you are insane!"

She smiled bravely, placing one of his hands on her cheek and leaning into it. The Ice Sekirei briefly indulged in the moment before she looked him dead in the eyes and asked him a simple question.

"Minato-sama, do you trust me?"

He swallowed audibly but nodded firmly.

"Yes, I do."

"Then let me do this," she leaned in closer, resting her forehead against his. "Besides, tonight you promised to make curry, did you not?"

Minato-sama's eyes watered up with unshed tears of frustration and fear, but he refused to cry. She didn't know what she would have done if he did.

"Yeah," he managed to say. "Your favorites, yours and Karasuba's too. Both of you have to come home, I'm not wasting any perfectly good food, okay?"

"Then give me your blessing and I will defeat your enemies."

Akitsu gave him a chaste kiss, pouring her love and trust for him into it. Bright ice blue wings burst from her back and flapped in a shower of snowflake-like sparkles. Power invigorated her body, filling her with conviction and confidence. She felt empowered by the amount of love and faith her Ashikabi felt for her in return. For the first blessed moment since being winged, Akitsu was at peace with her place by Minato-sama's side.

"Go, Minato-sama. By the ice of my pledge, I will shatter the misfortune of my Ashikabi."

Hikari looked like she had something to say but her twin pulled both her and Minato-sama away with her. At least one of them had a cool enough head under pressure, something that took quite a bit of worry off her shoulders.

"Well, well. Did your master abandon you to save his own skin?" Toyotama taunted as she and Ichiya stepped out into the open again.

She said nothing in reply, only a mask of serene calm on her face. Let them think what they wanted, they wouldn't be getting past her anyway. Not while she still drew breath.

"Still, 2 versus 1? I'll take those odds any day," Ichiya sneered. "You're finished, girl."

A massive gout of flame interrupted their rapid charge forward. All three combatants looked startled until a masked figure in black dropped into the scene by Akitsu's side. She whirled around with a jagged icicle formed in her hand, ready to spear who she thought was yet another foe before he raised his own gloved hands in a placating gesture.

"Whoa, easy!" He shouted, a little panicked by her rapid response. "I mean no harm! To you at least, I'm on your side!"

Akitsu cocked her head in confusion.

"Ah. Who are you?"

He slapped his forehead in what seemed like... frustration? Embarrassment? She had never seen or met anyone like him before. He did look sort of like Homura, or whoever it was that brought Minato-sama home and dropped out of the tree at Miya's house. That person didn't wear facemasks like this one did though, so it couldn't be him.

"Ugh, the nerve of that man and his Sekirei..." He muttered under his breath. He turned back to Akitsu. "Call me Kagari. You looked like you needed some help, and I owe a certain Min- er, Sahashi a favor. Or rather he owes _me_ a favor, so I'm making sure to rack these up so he can pay me back big time later. Speaking of whom, where is he anyway?"

Kagari made a big show of peering around. Fortunately for them, Higa's Sekirei were too wary of the newcomer to make any moves for now.

"You just missed him, he went on ahead to save the girl at the center of the forest." Akitsu told him.

"Seriously?!" Kagari shouted. "Argh, whatever. I came here to help her out anyway. How about we team up, take care of these two, and catch up to Sahashi?"

Akitsu nodded her head slowly, still a little hesitant to accept this man's words at face-value. Especially since he seemed to have conflicting reasons for helping her. But if he knew Minato-sama, he couldn't be all bad, right? She took his proffered hand in a slightly hesitant handshake.

"Well now that that's settled, 2 on 2 seems like a lot better odds now, doesn't it?"

Norito or no, 2 highly skilled opponents like Toyotama and Ichiya weren't exactly the kind of people she wanted to face by herself at the same time. Kagari's help was most certainly welcomed.

She turned to face Higa's Sekirei with a much more relaxed smile on her face.

"Ah. Come."

* * *

"Minato, how are you doing?" Hikari asked their Ashikabi.

Since parting ways with Akitsu earlier, Minato had advanced forward into the forest without a single bit of rest or hesitation. Hikari and Hibiki were both getting worried about him. They knew for a fact he was incredibly worried and anxious about the fates of his 2 Sekirei that volunteered to buy him the time he needed to get this far. The three of them walked in silence the whole time, a sense of urgency creating a tense atmosphere no one wanted to break until now.

"Yeah, do you want to take a little break? You'll be no good to anyone if you drop dead from exhaustion by the time we get there. Wherever _there_ is, anyway."

He finally stopped, turning to them with a slightly strained smile.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Do you two need to stop for a break? I've been terribly selfish and not thought of your needs this whole time."

Hibiki and Hikari shared a glance and shook their heads. As much as they really wanted to, it didn't feel right to be slacking off while their Sister Bonded were fighting for their lives out there. They wanted to push themselves, not only for their Ashikabi's sake, but to also prove themselves to Karasuba and Akitsu. Regardless of their shared Ashikabi, a great deal of trust was being placed in two virtual strangers who had literally just walked into their lives before they were all thrust into this mission together.

"We'll be fine, Minato! The power coursing through my veins empowers me beyond mere mortal limits!" Hikari grinned and put on a brave face. "Whenever you're ready!"

He turned and walked over to them, wrapping the both of them up in a warm hug.

"Thank you, Hikari, Hibiki," he said while squeezing the respective twin each time. "I'll make it up to you two when we all get back. Do you want to go shopping or eat or something with me?"

The Twins couldn't help but blush even in this tense situation. Of course they wanted to spend exclusive time alone with their Ashikabi!

"Alright, it's settled then. We'll go at the very first opportunity we get, I promise."

Spirits re-energized by the thought of a future date, Hikari and Hibiki marched onward with Minato deeper into the forest. By this point, the trees seemed ancient. They towered overhead with massive boughs and their thick roots sprawled haphazardly underfoot. This part of the arboretum looked nothing like it did before, undoubtedly changed by the influence of the Sekirei at the heart of it. An ominous feeling settled over the minds of all who approached. There was something about the air here that unsettled everyone to their cores.

"I think we're getting close," Minato spoke up eventually.. "I... recognize this area..."

"How?" Hikari asked. "Have you been here before, or seen it with some precognitive ability in your right eye?"

Minato frowned, his brow furrowed in thought. "Yes and no. Technically speaking, this is my first time ever in the arboretum. But I feel like I've seen these trees before, walked this path already..."

As they continued deeper, the surrounding trees seemed to loom closer and closer together. A very real sense of claustrophobia emanated from the tightly packed foliage. To make things worse, the air felt tangibly thicker and harder to breathe in. It smelled of rot and cloyingly stagnant, with little to no circulation of the air. The feeling of unease grew worse and worse as they went deeper but Hikari and Hibiki dared not say a word. They only grasped the hands of their Ashikabi tightly and walked in terse silence.

After what felt like ages of aimless travel, the party finally burst into a small clearing. At the center stood an absolutely massive sentinel of a tree. Thick gnarled roots spread a thick network through the ground, feeding into a trunk almost 30 meters wide. Compared to the rest of the surrounding forest, the tree here cast an almost regal shadow like a sovereign surveying their domain. The earlier sense of unease and cloying air was no longer present, replaced by a crisp and fresh scent of nature. There was no doubt that this was the heart of the arboretum.

"Kuu! Where are you?" Minato shouted, walking slowly into the clearing.

As the group approached the center, they felt dwarfed by the tree. Only now were they truly able to get a sense of scale for it. A faint sound of sobbing and sniffling began to grow in volume, filling Minato with a renewed urgency.

"Kuu! Is that you?"

Hibiki and Hikari scrambled to follow after him as he took off at a dead run, scaling the roots like a man possessed.

"O-onii-chan… Where are you?"

The owner of the voice couldn't have been any older than 12, the sound of her sobs seemed like they came from a very young girl who found herself very lost and very alone. By all intents and purposes, she practically was. In a hollow at the base of the tree where massive trunk met sprawling root, a small figure sat huddled inside.

"Kuu!"

"Onii-chan?!"

She looked up with a start, recognition blooming over her face. She hurriedly leapt up and took off at a run to meet Minato half-way. In her haste, she tripped over one of the knots in the root and almost fell face first if not for the timely intervention of a certain Sahashi. He swept her up into his arms just in time and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Onii-chan, you came!" She sobbed, tears of joy and relief pouring down her face this time. "You really came for Kuu!"

Hikari wasn't normally one for sappy displays, but even she had to admit how heart-warming the scene was. She turned to comment to her twin, but Hibiki was opening shedding sympathetic tears of joy for them as well.

"Hibiki?!" She whispered sharply and dug an elbow into her twin's side to get her attention.

"W-what?" Hibiki sniffed. "It's an emotional reunion!"

Hikari could do nothing but sigh and shake her head. At least they were able to make it to the girl first before anyone else could. Karasuba and Akitsu could rest easy knowing the mission was accomplished…

_"Wait." _she thought suddenly. _"KARASUBA AND AKITSU!"_

They had wasted enough time lollygagging around here. It was time to get going, they needed to go back for Karasuba and Akitsu now! Who knows how they were doing, if they won their fights, if they were even still… No. She couldn't think like that. Those two were strong, there was no doubt about that.

"Minato," She walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We need to get back to the others."

He nodded solemnly, not letting go of Kuu for an instant. From the looks of it, he probably couldn't have even if he wanted to. Kuu had latched onto the front of his shirt, physically and emotionally exhausted from her ordeal. Hibiki and Hikari had no idea how long she was in this forest for, all alone without a single person to help her. She had dozed off on his shoulder and no one had the heart to wake her up. They made their way down as fast as possible without disturbing Kuu, managing to shift her from the front of Minato's shirt to riding piggyback instead. Just as they hit the edge of the clearing, a strange whirling noise seemed to grow louder and louder as it headed towards them.

Hikari's eyes widened with the sudden realization that it wasn't just a random occurrence.

"GET DOWN!" She shouted, pulling Minato along with her as she hit the deck along with her sister.

It wasn't a moment too soon — a massive scythe ripped through the air in a boomeranging arc just overhead. The Twins' hearts were pounding with adrenaline, that had been way too close for comfort. But where the hell did that attack come from?

"Damn, I missed?" A voice sneered and answered their question.

Casually walking into sight, a young woman hefted the massive scythe from earlier over her shoulder. She had brown hair and eyes, wearing a black and white gown with red highlights. A pair of matching gloves and stockings rounded out the outfit. Around her neck, she tied a red ribbon in a simple knot. The owner of the scythe swung it in a lazy circle before pointing the tip straight at Minato.

"You have something that belongs to my master, Mikogami Hayato of the South. Hand her over, and you won't be hurt. Much."

What was with people and making awful threats even a vaudevillian antagonist would be embarrassed to say aloud? Hikari tried and failed to suppress a snigger that turned into full blown laughter. Clutching her sides, she pointed right back at the new interloper.

"Bwahahaha!" she cackled. "Was that supposed to be intimidating?"

Her laughter was cut short by the alarmed shout of her twin who pulled her out of the way just in time before she was bisected by a swing of the scythe. Minato ran as far as he could to give his Sekirei as much room to maneuver as possible so they wouldn't have to worry about protecting him at the same time as their battle. Hibiki gave him a quick nod of thanks before turning to face the enemy with her twin.

"Oi oi! Are you insane?!" Hikari yelled indignantly. "You almost killed me!"

Now it was the stranger's turn to fix her with a dumbfounded look and barely suppressed laughter.

"Are you serious?" She choked out. "This is a Sekirei fight, of course I'm trying to kill you. Didn't you get the point earlier?"

"Hmph," the brash Electric Twin snorted. "Everyone gets lucky once in awhile. Now that I'm paying attention, you'll not get the drop on me twice."

The enemy Sekirei clutched her face as a deranged smile peeked out between her fingers. She slowly began to walk towards them with her other hand loosely dragging the point of her scythe along the ground. An unsettling grinding noise filled the air and the Twins couldn't help but wince at the awful sound.

"Cocky, cocky! I like that, it makes your screams of pain all the sweeter when I feed your blood to Precious. I'm No. 43, Yomi. Do try to give me a bit of a workout before it all ends."

"Hibiki, let's go!"

Clasping hands with her twin, the No. 11 Sekirei charged their outstretched palms with crackling sparks of energy. Before the now-named Yomi could accelerate towards them, they blasted her with a massive bolt of lightning.

"Flash of the Thunder God!"

Yomi's eyes widened with glee at the sight of it. She stopped dead in her tracks and right as the attack was about to hit, she slammed the pommel of her scythe into the ground and raised a chunk of rock into the air in a defensive rampart. The Lightning Twins' blast crashed into it with a bang that sent a cloud of dust and debris into the air.

"Well, that was easy!" Hikari bragged. She jumped around and grinned at their Ashikabi. "Minato, did you see us kick her—"

"Vacuum Cutter!"

Hibiki had to save her twin's life for the third time in a row as she tackled her out of the way of an near-invisible blade of wind sliced into the ground where they just stood. She punched her twin in the arm where she lay in the dirt, still a little stunned by having the air knocked out of her by the sudden intervention.

"Pay attention!" She scolded heatedly. "You're going to get yourself killed out there!"

"Vacuum Cutter!" Yomi cried again, smelling metaphorical blood in the water.

This time, Hikari grabbed her twin and rolled the both of them out of the way of yet another slicing blade of wind. The continuous barrage of close shaves was getting far too close for comfort. Hikari had definitely underestimated their opponent, thinking nothing of a single Sekirei who challenged a band of other Sekirei whilst outnumbered and lacking intel. She should have known better than to have assume it was out of foolhardiness rather than a confidence borne out of strength.

"The two of you certainly are fairly good at dodging, if nothing else," Yomi taunted. "But are you going to roll around down there all day or are you going to actually try to fight back?"

"You'll pay for that!" Hikari yelled as she scrambled to her feet. "Hibiki, let's go!"

"Got it, Hikari!" the other twin shouted back.

Both of them charged their energies, fists glowing with the gathered electricity arcing all over their hands. With an identical smirk mirrored on their faces, they charged at Yomi with fists cocked. She grinned in anticipation as she beckoned to them with a crooked finger.

"Yes, that's the way!"

Hibiki ducked under Yomi's initial swing and unleashed a flurry of kicks at her midsection. Yomi was forced to quickly throw up a hasty guard, the look of mild surprise on her face indicating how she was taken a little off-guard by the speed and power of the blows.

A typical Element-Type Sekirei was more focused on mid- to long-range fighting due to the nature of their powers. If an opponent was fast enough or skilled enough to close the gap on one, there was little the Element-Type would be able to do against the raw physical power of a Fist-Type or Weapon-Type. Few realized how one-dimensional that particular style was and fewer still took moves to correct that glaring weakness. The Twins might not have done it themselves until a chance encounter with a certain black-garbed flame-wielding Sekirei in an impromptu sparring session showed them the importance of incorporating more physicality in their fighting style.

Yomi certainly was no slouch in that department either, the rigors of her weapon demanding an equal strength and endurance to wield. A wild grin cut across the corners of her lips as she licked her lips with glee.

"Good, good! You're better than I expected!"

"I'll show you 'better than I expected,' you psycho! Rolling Thunder!"

Hibiki charged her feet with electricity and executed a spinning somersault heel drop that Yomi barely threw her guard up in time for, eyes widening in full blown surprise this time. Her foot slammed into the shaft of the scythe, the impact of the blow cracking the earth beneath their feet. Hibiki planted her feet into the block and kicked off with a backflip to create space again.

"No time to catch your breath! Lightning Rush!"

While Yomi was still reeling from Hibiki's attack, Hikari slid next to her and unleashed a flurry of punches of her own. Yomi's rhythm was thoroughly disrupted and she could do little but temporarily ball up and shelter her head from Hikari's storm of blows. Finally fed up with it it all, she snarled and swung her scythe in a reckless arc as soon as it felt like Hikari was slowing down to try to get her away.

"WHIRLWIND VACUUM SLASH!"

Hikari's eyes widened at the sudden shift in tempo and jumped back before her arms got lopped off. A small cut sliced through her upper arm anyway, taking her entirely by surprise. She thought she had gotten clean away, how had the blade even touched her? She didn't even feel the cut until a split second or two later when it burned from contact with the air.

"Surprised, you annoying little bitch?" Yomi growled, wiping her lip of blood from one of Hibiki or Hikari's strikes. Her body smoked slightly from all the electricity sent into her body, and her muscles spasmed uncontrollably in places. "My Vacuum Cutter isn't just a ranged attack, it extends the reach of my scythe and you can't even see it!"

_"Well that sure is annoying…" _Hikari thought to herself.

As if she heard her twin's thoughts, Hibiki landed next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hikari, what's the plan?" she asked, a look of mild concern on her face.

"Same as it always is, kick her ass!"

"Easier said than done, bitch!" Yomi spat a globule of blood on the ground. "Vacuum Cutter!"

Hibiki and Hikari didn't know if they were slowly able to read her tells or if Yomi was slowing down, but it seemed like they could just barely make out the faint outline of the Vacuum Cutters flying at them. It was still difficult, but if they focused, they could see it. Both Twins jumped to the side out of the way of the slicing wind blades, a deep gash ripping through the forest ground and toppling trees all around them. With a nod to each other, they began their true plan.

Hibiki began to charge energy to her palms, and as soon as they crackled with sparks, discharged it in a barrage of lightning blasts.

"Take this! Rage of the Thunder God!"

"Oh come on, not this shit again!" Yomi screeched through her guard. "Come at me and FIGHT!"

She dove to the side and fired off several Vacuum Cutters of her own in retaliation. The difference between Hibiki's barrage and Yomi's was the fact that the former lacked some kind of weapon or defensive tool to hide behind. As such, Hibiki was forced to evade quickly or be sliced into pieces.

_"Fine, if it's a brawl she wants, it's a brawl she'll get."_ she thought fiercely and charged straight at her.

While her twin was occupying the majority of Yomi's attention, Hikari circled around to the scythe-wielder's blind side. She knew the scythe's reach and destructive power was overwhelmingly strong, especially since Yomi was able to compensate for her lack of long-range attacks with those Vacuum Cutters of hers, but the scythe itself operated only within a specific range. If she could slip in between that range, there was nothing Yomi could do against her. With that in mind, Hikari unleashed a powerful straight punch into Yomi's unprotected ribs. She timed her blow with a single glance at her twin as Hikari quickly closed the gap and threw a blow of her own directly at their enemy.

"Fist of the Thunder God!"

The simultaneous shout was all the warning Yomi got before two electrified fists slipped through her guard and slammed into her body with a force wholly unexpected from a pair of Element-Types. Yomi's body flew back, spinning with the force of the strikes, and crashed into a nearby tree trunk. She slid to the ground with a thud and lay still.

Minato shouted with excitement at his Sekirei's apparent victory.

"You did it! That was amazing!" he whooped.

"Woooooooow…" Little Kuu said in awe, her eyes glittering with adoration from her spot by Minato's side. Apparently she had woken up some time during the fight and now clutched one of Minato's hands tightly in hers. "You onee-chan are so cool…"

Hibiki and Hikari couldn't help but giggle bashfully and flush with pride. They didn't think simple praise would feel so good, but if it was coming from their Ashikabi, it felt like the best thing in the world. It was then that they knew they would do just about anything to see that smile again, to hear him praise them for a job well done.

"Aw, well…" Hikari trailed off bashfully. "The power burning in my fists needed an outlet, and she just happened to be it.'

"It was nothing!" Hibiki chimed in.

"You did did awesome." Minato laughed heartily at the looks of embarrassment and quiet glee on their faces. "Let's get back now, I'm sure Karasuba and Akitsu are waiting for us—"

He suddenly trailed off with a look of alarm in his eyes. Hikari and Hibiki reached out to him, concern written all over their faces.

"Minato, what's wrong? You look—" Hibiki began before Minato surged forward and threw all three Sekirei to the side.

Hikari, Hibiki, and Kuu all tumbled to the ground in surprise. The twins quickly rolled upright and sprang to their feet, Hibiki carrying Kuu in her arms. Before they could even turn and ask him what the big deal was, the question shriveled up and disappeared in their throats. The sight of their Ashikabi impaled on the shaft of Yomi's scythe turned the blood in their veins to ice water. They couldn't believe their eyes, they didn't _want_ to believe that what they were seeing was true.

Neither of the Twins could even bring themselves to react. Both stood numbly as their eyes stared without seeing. The two of them were already emotionally attuned to each other by way of their uniquełl bond as twins. Since winging themselves to Minato, that bond had only strengthened and reinforced itself with the presence of three other people all interconnected through it. Their unfamiliarity with the sensation sent all of their tumultuous emotions pouring through the bond, magnifying and amplifying it in a horrific feedback loop. The more anguish, grief, guilt, and terror that they felt, the more those emotions whipped themselves into a greater frenzy.

"O-Onii-chan?" Kuu said softly, tears pouring down her face. "Onii-chan, are you okay?"

She made to reach out for him, but Hikari and Hibiki mindlessly held her back. Tears pouring down their own faces, they all could only watch in mute horror as Minato gasped for breath. He coughed out a wad of blood onto himself, choking on it. Yomi grinned viciously and ripped her scythe from his breast, blood spurting from his wound onto her face.

"Oops," she giggled in some twisted approximation of glee. "I was aiming for you two but I guess your Ashikabi pushed you out of the way just in time. A pity!"

She lightly laid the pommel of her weapon on his chest and pushed him over. Minato toppled to the floor in a steadily growing pool of his own lifeforce.

An eerie hush fell over the forest, a deathly silence that smothered all conscious thought. It was like a white noise that filled their ears with nothing but the pounding of their hearts and the rush of blood through their bodies that they could have sworn had stopped. The icy cold terror and pain they had felt freeze their blood turned to a white hot throbbing. Their minds emptied of all thought except the fury and the fear, the anguish and the panic. A terrible cry ripped its way out of their throats, a vocalization of emotion that echoed through the forest.

* * *

"Frost Lance!"

Akitsu sent a near-torrential stream of ice lancing through the trees that Ichiya and Toyotama were desperately taking cover behind. The surge of power she felt from the Norito gave her strength beyond her usual limits, and she could feel no end to her potential. It made her heart pound with excitement and a heady thrill, yet she couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease. Not because of the power or some kind of berserker-like rush, but more because of an instinctual sense.

"Isn't that a little excessive?" Kagari deadpanned dryly. "We're fighting a pair of Sekirei, not trying to turn this forest into a frozen tundra."

She jolted out of whatever trance she was in with a start.

"Ah," she said sheepishly. "I am sorry."

"Shall we wrap this up? We should catch up with Sahashi and the others as soon as we can."

The Ice Sekirei nodded and began to gather the energy she would need for one final attack before a sudden wave of emotion poured into the bond. A sharp lance of raw pain stabbed into her breast and she nearly choked on how it ripped all of the air out of her lungs. She staggered and collapsed to her knees, hoarsely gasping for breath. Her hand clutched at her chest to try and desperately regain control of her body but the pain was overwhelming.

Kagari was by her side trying to figure out what was going on. He shouted at her, asking if she was okay and to pull herself together. Akitsu could hear nothing but a hollow ringing in her ears.

_"Minato-sama..."_

Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Where was he, what had happened to him and the Twins? She needed to find him, needed to get to his side and—

Fresh waves of pain slammed into her with all the force of a sledgehammer, this time laced with a new mixture of rage, fear, and guilt. She didn't know what to think, how to feel. The emotions from the bond, from what felt like the Twins, overrode her own sense of self and rational thought. Her own confusion and anxiety fed into the bond and fueled the spiralling maelstrom.

"Akitsu! What's happening?" Kagari shouted, trying to keep both of Higa's Sekirei at bay and cover the now comatose No. 07.

He threw up a pillar of flame to try to create space, no longer being careful of the surrounding forest. He didn't care if the whole damn arboretum burned to the ground, he just needed to get out of here with Sahashi and his Sekirei. Whatever had come over Akitsu was beginning to affect him too, a thoroughly ominous cloud of unease settling over his breast.

Suddenly, a scream of anguished pain tore itself from Akitsu's chest. She couldn't feel Minato-sama's presence in the bond anymore! He watched numbly as she staggered her way to her feet, her eyes staring blankly at him as tears streamed down her cheeks. He touched his own cheeks without thinking and found his fingertips wet with tears as well.

"You're finished now!" Toyotama shouted as she and Ichiya saw an opening to turn the tables.

The two of them leapt at Akitsu and Kagari, not hesitating for an instant to take advantage of their bizarre behavior. They saw Akitsu collapse and Kagari panic, not knowing what was happening, but they weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The Ice Sekirei looked at them with a hollow stare that seemed to pierce right through as if they weren't even there. Without even blinking, she moved her lips as if to say something and the surrounding area disappeared into a sea of white. Toyotama and Ichiya were encased in solid ice, their poses and expressions flash frozen as if they were photographed. Only Kagari was left untouched in the small clearing that was formed by the sudden attack.

Without another word, Akitsu took off at a dead run further into the forest, leaving a dumbstruck Sekirei staring after her. He took a second to try and shake off what had come over him before he charged after her. Somehow, he just knew she was running towards Sahashi and he wasn't about to be left behind.

* * *

Karasuba ducked beneath the wild swing of a baseball bat, of all things, before slamming the business end of her nodachi into some random thug's gut. She spared only the barest attention to make sure he stayed down in the pool of his own vomit before she turned around to parry a kick thrown at her by one of Higa's Sekirei.

Oh how she had missed this! The chaos of an all-out brawl, the din of a pitched battle, the stink of fear in the air — her blood sang with rapture. Karasuba's heart pounded with the thrill and adrenaline she had so desperately sought after. With a manic grin of glee on her lips, she pushed off the block and fired a roundhouse kick of her own that sent the girl flying back.

"She's invincible!"

"What the hell is she?!"

"Stand your ground! We have to keep trying!"

A small part of herself didn't think didn't there was any logical reason for all of these people — random civilian mobs, MBI guards, and Sekirei — to be throwing themselves at her, but that was mostly overridden by the dark voice that cackled in her brain.

_"Just enjoy it while it lasts,"_ it told her. _"Why question what a great thing you have going here?"_

The one fact she was still able to cling to was that her blade remained undrawn. Despite the whispers' best efforts, her blade had yet to taste flesh and blood. Though her enemies had racked up a number of other painful injuries like broken bones or concussions, Minato's promise remained intact and no one had actually died.

_"Yet."_

After slamming her sheathed nodachi into the back of a guard's helmet and smashing him into the floor, she found herself in the center of a wide circle of mostly Sekirei. Several bodies writhed in pain at her feet, but no one made any move to attack. She frowned, not liking this lull in the fun.

"What's the matter, 7 to 1 odds not good enough for you?" She taunted, hoping to get a rise out of them and goad them into action. "Maybe if you all attacked at once, you could make me break a sweat!"

It almost worked too. One of the younger-looking Sekirei started forward with a snarl before she was held back by her comrades. Karasuba almost laughed aloud at the expression on her face.

"Aw, is mama too scared to let baby out to play? I'm a little disappointed, I got all excited for noth—"

Karasuba trailed off in the middle of her sentence because she gradually became aware of something absolutely _wrong_ with her perception of the world. The familiar presence of her Ashikabi had always seemed to be just out of reach but there when she needed it, and she never truly realized it until now. The sudden disappearance of Minato's essence from the Sekirei bond they shared left an absence so profound it physically staggered her.

_"Karasuba!" _His voice sounded in her head, full of the warmth and kindness she knew he reserved for her.

A lance of pain slammed into her heart and it tore the air from her lungs. Burning tendrils of fire wound around her chest and her vision whited out from shock. Karasuba fell to her knees, clutching her hand to her chest in a futile attempt to stem the agony. With ragged breaths, she gasped for breath and fought to regain her composure. In her mind's eye, she saw with astonishing clarity the sight of her Ashikabi standing in a forest clearing with a young girl resting in his arms.

_"You're the most important person to me..." _He whispered, holding her tightly in his arms.

It was odd how she seemed to be watching the scene with a distinct sense of detachment, as if she were a third-party observer viewing from high. Her breast throbbed painfully again, and the scene changed to him embracing the Twins in joy. The sight of his smile almost brought an unconscious one of her own to her face if not for another painful clenching that changed the image once again, this time to reveal his pained face... He was... impaled through the chest in the same area where her pains seemed to originate from…! She watched with horror as he slid off some kind of scythe and bonelessly slumped to the ground.

_"I will never leave your side, Karasuba…" _His voice intertwined with _hers_, his face bleeding into and morphing into _hers_.

No words could describe the mix of emotions she felt at that moment. The pain subsided from a burning agony to a dull roar that chilled her body and choked the breath out of her. He had promised her he would never leave her, he had _promised her he would never leave_ just like_ she _did. A scream of betrayal, anguish, pain, despair, and sorrow tore its way out of her mouth. It was an inhuman sound, more feral than anything, and it left her vocal cords in shreds. Icy fingers clawed at the ground, grasping the dirt at her feet in an attempt to gather herself.

The Sekirei surrounding Karasuba took a wary step back, deeply unsettled by her scream. They wanted nothing more than to run, run far away from this demon they inadvertently disturbed. Only the command of their master still kept them here, but even the fear of his ire was beginning to pale in comparison to the one before them now.

A sudden commotion behind them made them all flinch until it was obvious it was only a squad of MBI troops. It seemed like they had finally managed to regroup and had begun dispersing the crowd. One large detachment was sent to deal with the cluster of Sekirei nearest to the barricade.

"Oi," the captain shouted, leading the way as he and his men shoved their way into the circle. "You lot had better clear on out of here or else urgk—"

He froze in mid step, clutching his throat before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and it slid clean off his neck to bounce with the sound of a watermelon hitting the ground. A geyser of blood sprayed from the stump of his neck in time with the last pulsations of his heart. One of the Sekirei shrieked in terror as some of her weaker-stomached comrades promptly threw up at the sight of the captain's body slump limply to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut next to his head, a grimace of terror and pain frozen on his face. No one had seen Karasuba move, but her blade was drawn and it dripped with freshly-shed blood.

"Run! RUN!" One of the Sekirei screamed over her shoulder, not pausing to see the fate of her fellows or if they even followed.

The rest of Higa's Sekirei broke, their wills shattered by fear and panic as they fled as fast as their legs could carry them. The rest of the men in the MBI squad were more disciplined than the Sekirei, the sight only putting a momentary hesitance into their reactions. No sooner did they consciously register the death of their captain did the second-in-command bark rapid orders to draw their weapons.

"Shoot her!" He bellowed, swinging his rifle around at the same time to fire.

The man was too was too late to do anything but peer up at his own legs, his torso separated from the rest of his body by a swift slash of Karasuba's nodachi. He watched with an odd sense of disorientation as the rest of his squad were butchered like cattle, most not even able to see their deaths coming before they were dispatched. A savage ferocity powered her strikes and she left nothing in her wake but corpses and pieces of corpses.

"She's too fast!"

"Can anyone even see her?!"

Bursts of gunfire rang out through the field until one by one, they were silenced with a scream or sickeningly wet splat. His life drained away with every second that ticked by until the last man toppled over, bisected down the middle. With his dying breath, he rolled over and stared up at the Sekirei who hadn't so much as blinked at such slaughter.

"M-monster…!" He coughed out, a bubble of blood bursting over his mouth.

Karasuba looked back at him as if an insect or other lesser creature lay at her feet, and her gaze seemed to look right through him without seeing anything. The blank expression on her face as a rivulet of gore not her own ran down the side of her cheek filled him with a primal terror. Her chest heaved, not with exertion but with a barely restrained rage against the world. The tip of her blade flickered, vibrating quickly to rid its surface of the blood on it. She raised her arm and the last thing he saw was the flash of the nodachi plunging down towards his face.

The Black Sekirei ripped her blade from the ruins of the once-human face and screamed again, pouring her sorrow and fury into a single piercing cry. It was the howl of a beast on the hunt, the only warning her prey would get before she tracked it down and exacted her revenge. There would be no stopping her, none could stand in her way. And when she was through… She would be with him again.

* * *

**AN: Sorry that took longer than expected to release! I was finally hired by a great company, so things have been crazy for me as I've settled into my new job. As I've promised, this chapter is jam-packed full of action. It's only taken 6 chapters to get to this point, but I hope you enjoy the ride. **

**Some of you have expressed concerns that adding the Twins might be a little too much too fast, or even unnecessary, but I hope this chapter goes a long way towards reassuring you I can juggle a full cast of characters. I've done my best to ensure Hikari and Hibiki are as uniquely portrayed as possible. If that means they express a little of their chuuni sides and embrace a flair for the dramatic, so be it!**

**As always, I want to thank all of the readers who've stuck with me this long and left thoughtful reviews and PMs for the story. I highly welcome anyone and everyone to do so, there's no such thing as a dumb review. I also would love to see some of my anonymous reviewers register an account so I can personally reply to you! **


	7. The Reckoning

Chapter 7 - The Reckoning

* * *

Yomi absolutely detested the other Sekirei in her master's possession.

All of them, from the very most senior in No. 05 Mutsu to the most recent addition in No. 38 Mitsuha, annoyed her at every turn. The whole lot of them were vapid, stupid, sniveling, and whorish excuses of Sekirei and yet all of them posed the biggest threat to her achievement of the main purpose in her life - Mikogami Hayato. It wasn't that they were out to get him or wished him ill, quite the contrary. Each and every one of the tittering idiots threw themselves at him at every opportunity, but she had to thank the spirits and every single one of the deities out there listening to her prayers that he never even noticed any of them or she might have had to do something quite drastic.

Of course, she didn't have much better luck either. Try as she might, he always seemed to be more interested in his video games and his collectables than _any_ of his Sekirei, really. Despite being one of the first ones winged by him (probably only Mutsu and No. 15 Himeko could claim to be earlier), she still hadn't really had a good grasp on what made him tick just yet. She had once tried playing one of Mikogami's games with him but her master quickly tired of it and changed to a single-player only game after a while. She had to admit there were days she did feel like just another piece in his collection, but she would always mentally scold herself for it. She reacted to _him_ for a reason, and he had _chosen_ her for a reason. _She_ was special, even if all of the other bitches and whores in his possession were _not_.

When she actually thought about it though, the only one who could claim the particular honor of somewhat understanding their Ashikabi was that vile homosexual Mutsu. He denied it at every turn, but she saw how he looked at their master, how he answered to his every beck and call with that nauseatingly soft smile of his. Filthy liar, oh how she wished she could drive the pommel of her scythe into his emotionless face and watch it contort with pain before it punched straight through.

But that didn't mean she would just roll over and give up trying to win his heart and attention. Absolutely not, her master was _hers_ and hers _alone_. She simply had to think of other ways to do it.

There was a time when Yomi had briefly considered simply murdering the competition and leaving her alone with her master, but had changed her mind after she saw how distraught he had been after Mutsu had brought home one of the stupid sluts who had gotten herself injured in a scuffle in the city. He had whined and moaned about how irreplaceable his Sekirei in his collection were to the point where Yomi had no choice but to scrap her plans entirely. There was no point in spending the rest of her life with him if he was just going to be miserable about the missing Sekirei for the whole time. Besides, it was better for her to win and beat out the others while they still drew breath to witness her victory.

With that in mind, she never hesitated to volunteer to perform the various tasks and duties he so infrequently asked of his Sekirei. It seemed like the most straightforward way to work her way into his heart. Of the few times he chose to interact with them, Mikogami mostly demanded playmates or food but that flaming cocksucker usually took care of his needs. However, any time she heard him ask for specific things to be done, she was always be the first to leap at the chance to do it. Yomi would always hope he would finally recognize her usefulness, patting her on the head with an affirmation of his love or telling her warmly how much he appreciated her. Instead, he would always offhandedly thank her and throw himself back into whatever it was he was doing previously. She never gave up hope he would change though, figuring it was only a matter of time before he truly noticed her.

She had almost blown her painstakingly acquired goodwill with him on a botched Sekirei recruiting mission but only the mercy of Mikogami spared her the ignominy of her failure. Her Ashikabi had sulked all the way back to their estate about "the one who got away" but he threw himself back into his video games before long, seemingly forgetting all about what had literally just taken place that day. As luck would have it, a golden opportunity for redemption practically dropped into her lap out of the blue.

When that madman Minaka made his announcement and interrupted her master's gaming session, she saw the best chance she would ever have to both redeem herself and secure her spot by his side. The same little slip of a Sekirei they had failed to retrieve before was now being offered up as a prize to the first Ashikabi able to wing her. If she could bring such a high-profile target back to her master, she would undoubtedly prove her worth as the most important Sekirei of his collection. She could secure that everlasting fame, fortune, glory, and power Minaka had spoken about on the television for her Ashikabi, redeem herself for her past failure, and he would _have_ to recognize her abilities. He would _have_ to praise her and rely on her as his right-hand woman. Yomi could finally win the sole attention and love of Mikogami for herself.

As soon as the announcement finished playing and the power went back on, she ignored the inane chatter of those other stupid cunts in the mansion and quickly made her way to the Arboretum indicated on the map. Alone.

Fortunately, none of them were intelligent or ambitious enough to think of a plan like hers themselves. Even if they had, they all were too reliant on their master for direction to do anything on their own initiative. And best of all, that ponce Mutsu was too busy coddling him to dare think about leaving him alone to accomplish this either. The whole plan was hers to fail, and failure was _not _an option for her.

Mikogami Hayato was hers, and hers alone. No one would stand in her way - not Mutsu, not any of the other Sekirei in his possession, not anyone.

* * *

Once the initial shock and horror had roiled through her system, Akitsu fought desperately to wrest control back over her emotions as she madly ran through the forest.

It was difficult to shut out the Twins and Karasuba from the bond, but she had to close their overwhelming input out of her mind lest she lose herself to insanity. Logically speaking, the very fact that she was still drawing breath and even attempting this was proof enough that Minato-sama still drew breath. She knew she would have been instantly terminated if he had… passed on. Finding his presence in the bond was a near impossible task, especially through the screaming maelstrom of feelings pouring from the others, but it still was a very faint presence nonetheless when she focused every fiber of her being into sensing. It felt terrifyingly similar to a flickering match in the wind, like it would snuff out at any moment, but at least it was still there. She now had to race against time to get to him before it was too late.

Akitsu didn't know if there was anything she could do to help him, but she would be damned if she wouldn't be by his side in possibly his last moments. She would rather die together in his arms than face-down in this forsaken forest by herself.

* * *

Homura still didn't know exactly what was going on. Between the frenzied response of Akitsu and his own unsettled heart, he didn't exactly have a good feeling about the circumstances.

He suspected something _wrong _had taken place, something to do with Sahashi. It was silly of course, there was no way he could know for sure, and it wasn't as if he was r-reacting or anything. Simply from observing Akitsu, he could reasonably draw that conclusion, right? And he was only following after in order to lend his support, he _was _the Guardian Sekirei wasn't he? It wasn't like he was particularly worried about the Sahashi boy - he was practically a grown man, he could take care of himself! He was only on the way there to make sure nothing had gone wrong.

Maybe Akitsu had simply overreacted! The Sekirei bond was a mysterious construct no one really understood, except for maybe No. 08 Yume or Asama Takehito and neither of them were around any longer. It was easy to misinterpret things like that, right? They'd probably run into Sahashi chuckling awkwardly about a scraped knee or a twisted ankle, and that would be the end of that. For the sake of his own conscience, it would be best if he confirmed that with his own eyes. Takami would probably never forgive him if he let anything happen to her son if he could help it, even if it did turn out to be nothing.

But he just couldn't shake that awful feeling of unease and fear in the pit of his stomach. The faster he and Akitsu got there, wherever there was, the better.

* * *

The sun had begun to set over Tokyo, and the waning light cast eerie shadows in the Arboretum. Wind whipped through Karasuba's hair as she ran faster than she had ever before. A feverish urgency coursed through her body, driving her ever onwards.

What remained of her reason and logic screamed at her, trying to get her to realize the very fact she still drew breath meant Minato had not yet died. That side of her was smothered, _drowned_ in a sea of unthinking primal rage. It consumed her mind and left nothing but anger and profound agony in its wake. She was simply unable to process anything but the fastest way to her Ashikabi's side.

Just ahead of her, she spotted a small group of humans loudly making their way through the forest. She instinctively slowed to speeds not uncommon to a human runner to assess the threat level. No doubt they were would-be Ashikabi hoping to score on the hapless little girl they saw on television, but Karasuba was in no state of mind to consciously process that. Nothing but the most vital sensory information pierced the veil of her rage. As they saw her approach, they began to catcall and whoop at her.

"Oiiii! Where you running off to, ojou-chan?"

"Why don't you stick around and play?"

Their sneering faces filled her with revulsion. How dare they call out to her as if they were on her level? Without even pausing in her stride, she flashed through the lot of them in a flurry of strikes and leapt onward into the forest. Their brief cries of surprise quickly turned to gurgles of horror when their slit throats filled with blood instead of air and their dismembered limbs fell with wet thumps to the floor. She didn't need to turn around to inspect her handiwork or confirm her kills - the smell of the pile of bloody parts left in her wake alone was proof enough that her blade flew true.

On and on she ran, lungs burning with what felt like molten lava in her chest. She couldn't stop to breathe, couldn't pause to take a break while her Ashikabi bled out on the forest floor. There was revenge to be had, and none would deny that from her, least of all her own mortal weaknesses. A roaring echoing of her thoughts and those emotions reverberating within the bond drowned out most of her conscious thought.

Like a vengeful goddess of destruction, she flew through the arboretum. She no longer cared about her own well-being. Almost pure instinct drove her at this point, whipping her into a wild and feral frenzy. Her feverish mind changed every shadowy figure she encountered into a snarling enemy, someone to strike down and eliminate from her path. No one was spared the swing of her blade - not men, not women, not anyone. Karasuba cut a bloody swathe through the forest, felling humans, animals, and trees alike. Death itself had descended upon the forest.

Finally, as her body screamed for relief, she burst into a small battle-scarred clearing. Her instincts had brought her here, and now that she had arrived, the haze began to clear from her mind ever so slightly. On a reflex borne from countless fights, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Several trees were toppled from what looked like massive gouges in the ground from a cutting instrument. Two Sekirei engaged a third, fighting wildly in the center. Closest to her were a cluster of Sekirei, all surrounding the still body of her Ashikabi.

The sight of it hit her like a physical blow, and she could feel herself reel with pain. Numbly, Karasuba began to stagger her way towards him. She could faintly hear the sobbing of several people, but it seemed to come to her through a thick separation like she was underwater. Seeing the reality of the situation for herself in her own eyes was difficult to believe. No, she didn't _want_ to believe Minato had been stabbed near fatally or that he was possibly on the verge of death.

The group (Akitsu, Kusano, and Homura) looked up at her as they finally registered her presence, disbelief and denial written all over their tear-streaked faces. Before she could take another step forward, a sharp blade of wind barely missed her and left a thin cut on her cheek. She touched a shaking hand to the cut, holding her bloody fingers to her face in mute disbelief. Karasuba looked towards the source, an unfamiliar Sekirei who seemed to be wielding a... scythe...

"_She's the one…!"_ The whispers began. _"Kill her…!"_

A colossal wave of killing intent exploded from her body as she brought the full weight of her aura to bear. It staggered the nearby Sekirei as they gasped for breath. But the one she focused all of her rage towards, the scythe-wielder whose weapon she could still clearly see her Ashikabi impaled on, she brought her to the ground with a glance.

"_What are you waiting for, tear her apart!"_

Karasuba drew her nodachi, the ringing of the blade as it rasped against the sheath echoing through the air like the toll of a bell, and stalked toward the terrified Sekirei. She clung to her scythe as if it could ward off the impending evil.

"_Rend! Slash! Maim!"_

"Is that your scythe?" Karasuba asked her, her voice eerily calm.

"W-Who are you?!" The Sekirei babbled near hysterically, frozen with terror written all over her face.

"Is that... your scythe?" Karasuba asked once more, flaring her aura for emphasis. She was being uncharacteristically patient, but she wanted to make absolutely sure she had the right culprit.

"Y-Yes!"

Time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as the words lodged in her mind. _She_ was the culprit…?

"_KILL HER, MAKE HER PAY." _They howled in her head. _"TEAR HER TO SHREDS."_

Any shred of mercy or pity that might have still lingered in her heart shriveled and died at that very moment. For the first time in a long time, Karasuba wanted nothing more than to do just what she was told. No more games, no more pretenses. She had no one left to hold back for, to pretend to be anything but the monster she knew she was. This _bitch_ had taken her one reason for living, her one reason to want to change for. And she HAD to pay. As soon as she made that conscious decision, something in Karasuba's mind snapped and a blank look settled over her eyes.

"_DO IT!" _The voices in her mind bellowed at her, demanded blood. Karasuba was all too happy to oblige.

In real time, no sooner had the words left her mouth, did the Black Sekirei's arm flicker out of sight. A spray of blood burst from the stump that used to be the Sekirei's left arm, and the scythe in question slipped out of its twitching fingers. The cloying scent of rusty iron permeated throughout the clearing even as a horrible scream filled the air. The Sekirei's senses had finally caught up to reality.

"_KILL! KILL! KILL, KILL, KILL, KILLKILLKILLKILLKILL-"_

The Sekirei howled with pain as she attempted to scramble backwards with her remaining three limbs, pain infusing renewed energy and agency into her body. She clutched desperately to the stump of her arm in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. Karasuba stalked after her, pausing only to grab the fallen scythe from the ground where it had fallen. The Black Sekirei gazed upon her scrabbling body as if she were some kind of vermin crawling in the dirt, then abruptly stabbed the point of her blade into the girl's shoulder. It pinned her to the ground like a butterfly on display. Another terrible howl echoed through the air.

"F-Fuck you!"

The Black Sekirei slammed the pommel of the scythe into the thick part of the Sekirei's thigh, leaving her a blubbering mess writhing on the ground. She had nowhere to run and where to hide from Karasuba's wrath. The girl must have soiled herself sometime in the process, the acrid smell of urine beginning to mix with the scent of her blood in the way Karasuba had become so familiar with in the past.

The Black Sekirei merely gazed impassively at the quivering girl. Releasing her iron grip on her nodachi and the girl's scythe, Karasuba crouched over her body and abruptly plunged a knifehand into her stomach. There was no time for her to react, to attempt to brace herself for the pain. The Sekirei screamed, a blood-curdling cry of agony bubbling from her lips as Karasuba's entire hand dug into her flesh and buried itself into her torso. There was a distinct sound of someone throwing up behind her but it, like practically every other response thus far, gave her no pause.

The Black Sekirei looked at the girl with an impassive stare, a completely unreadable expression on her face. Slowly, mechanically, she began to twist her hand in the girl's body cavity. Earsplitting howls of agony tore through the clearing, the constant pain keeping her from slipping into merciful unconsciousness. Karasuba knew just exactly how much threshold of pain the body, whether Sekirei or otherwise, could take. Everyone was different of course, but sooner or later they all cracked in some way. It was only a matter of time.

Karasuba was determined to extract her pound of flesh, nothing else mattered to her at this moment. Sensing the girl slowly go into the tell-tale signs of shock, she ripped out hand out, still in the shape of a fist, with a terrible squelching noise. The girl's face, covered in dirt and tears and snot, seemed carved permanently into an expression of agony. She hacked up blood with every gasp and moan of pain, voice raw from screaming the whole time.

"P-Please... p-p-please! Mercy... MERCY!" She begged finally.

"Mercy?" Karasuba asked in return, a mask of blank emotion on her face. "Mercy, like the mercy you showed my Ashikabi?"

She tore her blade and the scythe from the Sekirei's shoulder and leg respectively with vindictive wrenches of the arm.

"Squirm." She commanded softly. "Crawl in the dirt. Cling to life as hard as you can before I snuff out your miserable existence."

The Sekirei wailed and flipped over with a groan. A hand was pressed tightly to the deep wound in her stomach, so she could only propel herself forward with a half-dragging, half-writhing motion as she pushed her legs into the forest floor to move. She was weak from loss of blood but still tried to take her wreck of a body as far away from Karasuba as she could.

The sound of her miserable struggle was the only thing anyone could hear, nothing but the groans of agony and the hasty breaths of panic filled the air as even the very forest itself held its breath in fear. The No. 04 Sekirei strode after her like a shadow of death, waiting, observing the pathetic specimen at her feet. She raised her arm, blade pointed at the back of the Sekirei's head, as the tears she could not shed softly, unconsciously, trickled down her face.

_"Give Minato back to me..."_ she whispered as she slammed the cold steel down.

A cough, barely audible, arrested her downward stab just before the tip of the blade made contact with her. It shook incredulously as Karasuba turned with a hope she dared not feel. There, in the arms of Hibiki and Akitsu, her Ashikabi struggled to draw breath. It was a tenuous rise and fall of his chest, but they were still tell-tale signs of life. How could she have forgotten his presence here? How could she not have noticed? How could she have lost herself in revenge instead of being by his side?

She sprinted to his side, and swept him into her arms, smoothing the bangs of his hair with a trembling hand. Waves of guilt and self-revulsion threatened to spill up out of her mouth but she forced it down with an iron grip on her emotions. She had to be strong now.

"Minato?" She forced her voice to be as steady as she could manage, gripping one of his hands in one of hers as tightly as she dared without hurting him. The other bloody appendage she hid behind her back, not wanting to soil him with her taint.

"H-Hey," he wheezed back. "Took you... long enough.. to get here..."

Karasuba couldn't help but choke back a laugh even as she blinked away her tears.

"There was some traffic," she managed to say with a strained smile.

He coughed up blood, specks of it landing on her cheek. She made no effort to wipe it from her face. Instead, she wiped the corners of his mouth for him and mopped up the sweat at his brow. He smiled weakly, moving his lips to say something but nothing could come out or be heard. Minato reached a shuddering hand up to her face, wiping away the blood from the cut she had gotten earlier. His eyes slowly closed as his hand fell limply at his side and he laid still. Karasuba screamed in despair, not willing to believe her eyes.

"Minato? Minato! Don't you leave me, not you too!" She lightly slapped his face and held her ear to his mouth, desperately hoping to hear his breath.

A faint, almost nonexistent wisp of air brushed against her ear, and she thanked every spirit and deity who was listening. She shakily stood up with Minato in her arms and gently passed him to Akitsu, who had hastily joined her as soon as she noticed her begin to rise.

Without another word, she quickly followed the drag marks and blood trail towards the Sekirei girl who still gasped for air as she dragged and pushed herself away. She was honestly surprised that she hadn't bled out yet. As much as Karasuba would have wanted to prolong her miserable existence and torture the life out of her wretched body, she knew there was no time left to spare. Minato needed medical attention as soon as possible, and he'd likely never forgive her for leaving the Sekirei in this state. Karasuba dug her heel into the small of her waist, pinning her in place on the ground, and roughly tore the back of the dress on her body open to reveal the Mark.

"Blade of my pledge, go forth and exterminate the bonds of this Sekirei." She murmured hastily, placing her palm flush against the Mark.

The Sekirei Crest flashed brightly, drawing a gasp of shock, then disappeared as quickly as it came. The girl laid still, not moving a single inch further. She was lucky Minato would have been more merciful than Karasuba was. Losing the Sekirei Mark somehow put the body into stasis, no matter how catastrophically injured the individual was. Perhaps it was some small mercy that _madman_ put into the Plan in order to give relief to the victims. Or maybe it was the final blessing of the Ashikabi protecting the Sekirei one last time. Karasuba didn't know, but that Sekirei would not die just yet. MBI would pick her up and bring her back to the labs for healing - they might even be able to reattach her arm if they came fast enough.

Karasuba would have stayed until they came to medevac the Sekirei and then force the medical crews to help Minato, but she didn't think they would make it in time to save him. His condition was far more grave than she could have imagined. She trusted the strength of her own legs to carry her faster than the MBI response time. For that reason, she ran back to Akitsu and, as gently as she could muster, took Minato back into her arms. She wouldn't leave him to anyone else, not again.

"Let's go." She told the assembled group. "Someone grab the youngling."

After a slight pause for the group to rouse themselves out of their stupor, Karasuba tightened her hold on Minato and ran towards the city. She didn't know where she was heading, but the nearest hospital would be her best bet. A brief look at his pained face laboring to breathe gave her all the motivation necessary to push her exhausted body to its limit. She just had to, the price of failure was too much to think about.

* * *

Hikari and Hibiki were crushed by the abject truth that Minato was injured, almost fatally, under their watch.

They had been trusted to keep their Ashikabi safe and they had failed miserably. Neither of them could look up and meet anyone's eye, certainly not Karasuba's. Hikari was privately glad No. 04 had taken the lead so the judgment of the Black Sekirei wouldn't be bearing down upon her head on top of the crushing guilt they already felt.

Still, the blistering pace she set was difficult to keep up with. Everyone understood the need for haste, but they all had to push themselves to the utmost limits to just to keep running. No one wanted to be left behind, to have to say "I couldn't do it." The thought never even crossed either of _their_ minds, at least. They wouldn't dare speak out about it even if they had an opportunity to. It was merely a small part of their continued penance.

"Hikari-onee-chan, where are we going?" Kusano asked from her spot on her back. "Is Onii-chan going to be okay?"

"Minato's going to be fine!" Hikari replied bravely. "We're going to get him some help is all, he just needs to rest a bit."

"Yeah!" Hibiki chimed in from the side. "Minato's a tough guy, you'll see."

Both Twins realized his life was now essentially a ticking bomb. So long as he drew breath, ragged and pained breaths but breaths nonetheless, they too would be able to live. As soon as his heart stopped and he passed from this world, they would join him right after. They tried to remain optimistic, but if he wasn't getting medical attention soon, he would inevitably succumb to his wounds.

Kusano seemed satisfied by the answer for now, but Hibiki was sure despite her youth, she wasn't naive enough to blindly believe it. She looked as old as a 13 year old girl and certainly was at least as perceptive.

Overhead, the roar of helicopters flying past them briefly caught the party's attention but no one would stop to gawk if Karasuba didn't. No doubt they were headed for the carnage inside and out of the Arboretum. Hikari and Hibiki had to hide Kusano's eyes on their flight towards the city - no child, Sekirei or otherwise, needed to see that forest strewn with bodies or that killing field littered with pieces of corpses. The Twins had nearly stumbled and tripped over it all themselves. They had to force themselves to keep running, to not let their eyes linger too long lest they be overwhelmed by the sights and smells themselves.

Hikari was thankful for the fact they had protected little Kusano from the worst of it back at the clearing. The Twins had just barely returned to Minato's side when Karasuba's crushing killing intent slammed down all around them. Kusano nearly passed out from the pressure, and it was all they could do to stay conscious themselves, let alone protect the youngest among them. The three clung to each other for comfort and protection as The Black Sekirei demonstrated first-hand how she earned her gruesome reputation and monikers. Kusano had buried her face into Hibiki's bosom while Hikari did her best to block her ears from the horrific sounds of torture.

The Twins certainly wished someone had been able to do the same for them. Even now, the very memory of what Karasuba did to Yomi made them physically ill. Hikari and Hibiki knew the sound of her screaming would haunt their dreams for a long while. Everyone knew the stories of The Black Sekirei's brutality, her viciousness, and her unbridled power, but experiencing it in real life was a far more gruesome reality than any tale could capture. Kusano was spared the majority of it all, but the Twins didn't think they could see the No. 04 the same way anymore. Not until they had a moment to decompress on their own.

Suddenly, a series of bright spotlights shone down on them, freezing the entire party in their tracks. A near deafening roar of whipping winds and mechanical whirring filled the air. Around them circled a pair of helicopters with the MBI logo emblazoned on the side. An amplified voice rang out over the din as they began to land.

"DON'T MOVE. GIVE US SAHASHI MINATO."

"Takami!" Karasuba roared back, somehow recognizing the voice. "I'll never give him up to MBI, not now and not ever!"

The helicopters fully touched down on the wide street they were on but didn't stop their rotors. A grey-haired woman leapt out of the lead one as soon as she was able to, striding with haste in her step towards the group. A glowing tablet computer was clutched in one hand as she approached. Karasuba stood her ground, not making a single move one way or another.

"Don't be stupid, Karasuba!" Takami shouted over the din of the whirring helicopter blades. "I've been remotely monitoring his condition, you know just as well as I that at this point, MBI's medical facilities are the only ones equipped to help Minato!"

"I'm not letting him out of my sight!" Karasuba shouted back. "I don't trust MBI or you, not after the last broken promise you made me!"

Takami growled, running a frustrated hand through her messy hair as it whipped back and forth from the wind currents.

"We're wasting time here! I know you have good reason not to believe me, but every second we spend _not_ taking him to medical assistance, the closer he comes to dying! Can't you see that?!"

"I'd rather take my chances elsewhere!"

Takami got right up into Karasuba's face, a look of frustration and anger emblazoned all over her own.

"Damn you, Karasuba, do you really think I would let them do anything to my own son without my direct supervision?!"

Karasuba seemed to hesitate slightly but made no effort to acquiesce.

With a huff of frustration, the grey-haired woman activated the tablet in her hand and quickly began to make some kind of calculations. The screen flashed with complicated-looking diagrams and charts, none of which seemed to stay on for longer than the briefest of moments. Takami paused briefly to light a cigarette with practiced hands, not interrupting her rhythm in the slightest. Only mere seconds passed as her hands flew across the surface of the tablet, a look of concentration and urgency all over her countenance. Her screen flickered with the completion of her computation and Takami snarled under her breath at its display. She only took a split second to analyze the results before spitting her cigarette out and stomping it out under her heel.

"Fine, have it your way!" She gave in finally, signalling to the helicopters. As soon as they saw her hand go into the air, several teams raced out of them and immediately began setting up a makeshift medical tent. The rotors wound down as the pilots shut off their helicopters. "We've enough equipment for a field operation here, but nothing more. Quickly, bring my son."

Without pausing to see if Karasuba complied, she turned on her heel and ran towards the tent with orders yelled at the frenzied workers. To her credit, the No. 04 Sekirei immediately ran after her, careful not to jostle Minato in her arms. She disappeared into the tent as the rest of the group made to follow, but as soon as they neared it, Takami emerged to stop them from entering. Now clad in scrubs and a medical mask, she raised a gloved hand and glared at them all.

"One stubborn Sekirei is more than enough, I don't need the whole lot of you cluttering up my work space." She barked. "Wait outside."

Hikari and Hibiki slumped weakly outside of the tent and leaned heavily on each other as they led Kusano by the hand away. The twins crumpled with exhaustion on a nearby bus stop bench. Akitsu joined them as well, looking nervous and pensive. Only Kagari remained aloof, choosing to perch on top of the bus stop's roof rather than sit with Minato's Sekirei.

"Um, was Takami-nee onii-chan's mama?" Kusano spoke up suddenly.

Now that they thought about it, that Takami woman had said "my son" in reference to their Ashikabi. Was she really his mother? They didn't know for sure.

"Ah. Yes…" Akitsu replied softly. She ran a hand through Kusano's hair in a comforting gesture, drawing her into her arms. "Takami-sama is Minato-sama's mother."

Kusano nestled into her bosom sleepily and yawned. It had been an exceptionally long day, and with little chance to rest, there was no wonder she was exhausted.

"Oh… Okay… That makes sense..." She said before she slowly dozed off.

Hibiki and Hikari did their best to stay awake themselves. They wanted nothing more than to go to sleep as well, but their Ashikabi's life was still on the line. They couldn't just rest that easily, not after what they had done. Or rather allowed to happen. No, the only thing their troubled consciences would allow them to do now was keep vigil with Akitsu and hope for the best.

* * *

Higa Izumi was not a patient man.

Patience hadn't let him survive the assassination attempt on his life when he was younger. Patience hadn't helped him discover it was ordered by his own flesh and blood to eliminate him from the Higa Pharmaceuticals inheritance. Patience hadn't seized control of the company by the age of 23. And patience certainly hadn't exacted revenge on those responsible for crossing him.

No, it was a driven and results-focused mindset that brought him his successes, and it left no room for being "patient." He held everyone around him to those same standards he held himself to, which is why he found himself most irritable and decidedly impatient to hear some kind of report from his Sekirei.

They had left hours ago, almost as soon as Minaka's announcement finished playing, with eager promises of bringing the little Sekirei girl to him. He had yet to even hear back from them and he was quickly losing his temper at the delay. Incompetence he could somewhat tolerate - not everyone was as gifted as he, so it was his own responsibility to properly allocate the right tasks to their appropriate skill level. But liars and those who over-estimated their own ability aggravated him the most. Better to accept one's own mediocrity than make promises one could not or would not be able to keep.

A uncharacteristically timid and hesitant knocking on the doors to his office had him suppress a groan aloud. The only one who he trusted to directly report to him was his right-hand man Kakizaki, and if _he_ wasn't approaching with the usual self-assured confidence Higa hired him for, there was nothing but bad news awaiting.

"Enter."

The door swung open as a tall, dark-haired man slipped in. He wore a sharply tailored black suit that befitted his status and spectacles that he nervously pushed up with a finger. On the surface, Kakizaki looked calm and poised but Higa could see right through his front and read all of his tells. Behind him was his Sekirei, the No. 22 Kochou.

"Higa-sama." Kakizaki greeted neutrally.

"I take it you're here because you have news for me?"

The suited man started to sweat slightly and cleared his throat.

"Yes, Higa-sama. I just finished debriefing the Sekirei who have returned from your mission." He hesitated, swallowing deeply before continuing. "All seven are injured, one severely enough to require immediate medical assistance. Estimated time of recovery is about a week and a half via standard Higa Pharmaceuticals protocol, or about six days if we use the prototype medical recuperation tanks that have recently been green-lit for use."

Higa said nothing, deciding to let his ire speak for itself. His displeasure and irritation showed clearly on his face and Kakizaki was no fool to not see it.

"The mission?"

"The Sekirei failed to retrieve No. 108, Higa-sama."

Higa had to resist the urge to throw the nearest object on his desk at something, someone. As much as he wanted to, he knew losing his cool wouldn't be productive. Better to channel that energy into action.

The pharmaceutical CEO turned on his computer with a tap on the surface of his desk. A screen raised from a slot in the wood brought up the docket on all of his active Sekirei, their files updated to reflect their after action reports. Just as Kakizaki stated, the majority of his Sekirei had an entire laundry list of injuries ranging from broken bones to concussions. What had happened out there for them all to have been put out of commission so heavily?

"Use the tanks, spare no cost. I want them back on their feet and ready to sortie as soon as possible."

"Understood, Higa-sama."

"Do we know anything about who did manage to wing 108?"

Here Kochou stepped up and bowed deeply at the waist.

"Higa-sama," she greeted before she waved a hand towards his screen. Three drone-taken pictures appeared of the small blonde-haired girl in the arms of several other women labeled with their Sekirei numbers: 11, 12, and 8 respectively. "No. 108 'Kusano' was last spotted in the possession of Ashikabi Sahashi Minato and his Sekirei heading towards the North."

Almost before he could ask the question, another wave of Kochou's hand brought up a dossier on the aforementioned Sahashi Minato. It seemed that most of the information on him was either restricted or sparse, neither of which he particularly liked. The only things accessible at this time were basic line items about his physical attributes, several pictures of him, and a list of his known Sekirei. Nothing substantial Higa could use.

"Find out more about this Ashikabi. With the addition of No. 108 to his collection, he has five total Sekirei at his employ." He contemplated out loud. "That makes him a threat, and threats are to be mitigated or eliminated. I want to know everything - his date of birth, his credit score, known associates, locations of his family, _how often he takes a shit_."

"Understood, Higa-sama, but-"

The very temperature of the room felt 20 degrees colder as the pharmaceutical CEO had a hard time understanding what he was hearing. It sounded to him like his subordinates were talking back.

"But?" He raised an icily neutral eyebrow. "But, what, Kakizaki?"

"A-Apologies, Higa-sama, but the Sahashi boy... One of his Sekirei is the No. 04, 'Karasuba...'"

Higa was beginning to lose the remains of his already frayed patience.

_"And?"_

"A-And it would be unwise to provoke the Black Sekirei needlessly, Higa-sama... Not to mention he's in the Northern Sector. Rumors say that the _'Hanya of the North'_ has made her base of operations in the vicinity, so-"

A loud crack rang through the air as Higa slammed a palm on his desk, making the two people standing in front of him nearly jump out of their skins. Kochou especially looked pale as a sheet and ready to bolt at any moment.

"You're telling me you refuse to cooperate because of _rumors_ _about some bogeywomen_?"

"N-N-No! Absolutely not, Higa-sama, I just-" Kakizaki stammered in a panic before Higa interrupted again.

"You should be more afraid of _my_ immediate wrath than that of some tale who, if you do your job _properly_, won't even realize you were there to begin with."

Kakizaki took a shuddering breath to pull himself together.

"Yes, Higa-sama."

He and his Sekirei beat a hasty retreat after deep bows. Higa didn't bother watching them leave. Instead, he got up and stared out of the windowed wall behind him. The vast city skyline gleamed below but he wasn't filled with wonder or inspiration or any of those other useless emotions. His eye turned to the MBI Tower even as his fists balled up unconsciously. Drive and purpose filled him with the desire to tear it down around Minaka's head for the role he played in the assassination attempt.

Higa would win this so-called Sekirei Plan and carve out Minaka's heart from his own body like he had done the rest of the conspirators.

* * *

One of Mikogami Hayato's favorite things to do was play video games. He loved the freedom of diving into a new world, becoming a new person, and performing feats of strength and wisdom through them. The 2D world was full endless possibilities unlike his own dead-end 3D world.

"_Urgh, this stupid level is so annoying! Whose idea was it to put that spike trap there?!"_

It wasn't until he met the No. 05 Sekirei Mutsu that he began to open up a bit to the real world. His life had turned around almost immediately - after all, who wouldn't be enamored by the idea of collecting cute boys and girls like in his video games and taking them out to beat up bad guys? Of course, it wasn't exactly easy for him to express how he felt about the whole thing to them. He still felt awkward and unable to say a single word to anyone but Mutsu most of the time, so he preferred to just sit there and watch them go about their day. It was just like playing one of those silly mobile collection games or even simulation games. Things were simpler when he could just go back to his video games where he wouldn't have to worry about offending anyone or making a fool of himself.

"_Almost got it, almost got it…!"_

Speaking of which, he hadn't heard anything from his Sekirei in a while. They had all been excited by the strange announcement that Minaka fellow made suddenly, even if he had interrupted his gaming session right in the middle of a grueling boss fight, and they all clamored to go recruit the No. 108 in the arboretum. Right when he was about to muster up the scraps of his courage to leave his bedroom, Mutsu had said Yomi left to do it already. He had to be honest, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief when he heard that. Not only because he wouldn't have to set foot outside his comfortable home, but also because someone was already doing it for him. Now all he had to do was wait and see.

"_FINISHED! Take that xAsanagi!"_

It had been almost forever and a half since Mutsu told him that though. He set his controller down and paused his game. Mikogami checked his watch again for the umpteenth time in a row - 9:46 PM. He remembered reaching the last checkpoint in his game at around 6:21 PM when Mutsu first made the announcement so he had been waiting for over 3 hours and 25 minutes. He glanced at his watch again, 9:47 PM, so over 3 hours and 26 minutes now!

A soft knocking at his door stopped him from the impending tantrum building up in his breast. He absolutely hated waiting around for people to keep their promises, especially since his parents had broken so many to him growing up. The young boy smoothed his shirt and shouted "Come in!" without a hitch in his voice this time. He was getting better at this with practice!

"Ah, Mikogami. You're still awake?"

"Of course I am, I'm too nervous to sleep. Where's Yomi? You said she snuck out alone right? Why is she not back yet?"

His very first Sekirei hesitated and Mikogami knew by the carefully neutral expression on his face that there was bad news. He had seen that expression time and time again on his parents, his tutors, his maids even, when they were searching for the "appropriate" words to use because they thought he was either unable to or incapable of understanding. Tears filled his eyes at the prospect of it.

"Yomi... has been deactivated. The mission was a failure."

Anger and frustration dripped down his face in hot rivulets. She had... left him, left him like everyone in his life had eventually did and would inevitably do. This is why he preferred to lose himself in video games and his collectables. The 2D world would never betray him. The plastic figures would always be there waiting for _him_ to come back to _them_, not the other way around.

"U-Useless! She was useless!" Mikogami managed to choke out from behind his tears. "How _dare_ she?! I never gave her permission to go and get deactivated!"

"..." Mutsu said nothing, only stood there with a carefully neutral expression on his face as he watched his Ashikabi's tantrum.

"Who did this?!"

Here, the No. 05 Sekirei's face paled slightly and his normally calm reserve cracked a little.

"The Black Calamity, No. 04 Karasuba."

"She'll pay for this! I swear it!"

Mutsu started forward, placing a warning hand on his Ashikabi's shoulder to urge restraint.

"Mikogami, I-"

The boy angrily shrugged his hand off and slapped it away, his rage provoked even more by what he felt was a patronizing gesture.

"Shut up, Mutsu! Go away!"

He felt his Sekirei stiffen and nod his head once. Bowing slightly, he excused himself with a soft click of the door behind him. As soon as Mutsu left, Mikogami let out a strangled scream of impotent rage and loss. He picked up his controller and flung it at the television in front of him with a crash. Staring back at his distorted reflection in the cracked screen, he bit his finger in the comforting way he did when stressed.

Yomi was useless to him now that she had gone and gotten herself removed from his possession. He didn't have the energy to truly mourn her loss, that part of him had shriveled and atrophied years ago. Instead he felt the pang of irritation one would feel towards a toy abruptly taken away and confiscated against one's will. Mikogami seethed impotently as he drew his legs into his body on the couch.

"Useless things can all go and die."

* * *

With an odd sense of detachment, Minato determined he was captive in his own body. Nothing felt or looked like it was supposed to, and his mind felt cold and numb. A great deal of unseen pressure weighed heavily upon his limbs. Try as he might, only the bone weary ache in his very essence seemed to respond to his commands. He was laying at the bottom of some unfathomable ocean trench, and all of his sensory input felt muffled and distorted as if underwater.

"...nato! ...wi... Don't you dare... Mina...!"

Bits and pieces of dialogue someone or someones, he didn't know for sure, wafted into his ear. Minato couldn't understand a single word that reverberated around him into the meaningless void of white noise. Bursts of blinding light filled his vision, searing shadows into his eyelids.

"...sion ASAP! ...lost a lot... ...od!"

Faces hovered just out of arm's reach. They faded in and out of his sight, the names and memories of them just on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to call out to them but it felt like his mouth was wired shut, unable to make a single noise.

"...2, 1... ...ear!"

A surge of lightning ripped its way through his body, jerking him out of his stupor. Wordless screams wracked his limbs with tension and forced what little air was left in his lungs out. His eyes widened with sight unseeing even as the light gouged into them. Pain bloomed in his chest and pooled there like liquid fire before diffusing throughout his very fiber of being. The blaze consumed his mind and every sense until he couldn't even remember a time without its presence.

Suddenly, an echoed chorus of whispers cut through the thick veil of his agonised paralysis and filled his ears.

_"Please don't leave me."_

As if a lock was finally undone, Minato jolted upright with long, shuddering breaths. A fresh wave of torturous pain lanced through his chest and laid him low again, but he was alive. He took in ragged gasps of air but he was _alive_. The last thing he could remember was being... impaled by that Yomi Sekirei girl, and then... Nothing. Flashes of light and pain, sure, but not much else.

"Minato?"

The room filled with the surprised and startled cries of his Sekirei rousing from their silent vigils by his bedside. It finally hit him that he was nestled safely at home in his bedroom, surrounded by relieved faces. In Hikari and Hibiki's case, it was more of a tearful relief, and Kusano cried openly.

He opened his mouth to speak, to say something to the girls who cared about him so much but could only manage to croak hoarsely. Karasuba quickly passed him a glass of water without a word. Minato smiled weakly and nodded his thanks before taking a sip.

"I'm home."

Gently, as to not aggravate his wounds, his Sekirei drew him into a warm group embrace. There were more faces now than the last time he remembered - Hikari, Hibiki, and even Kusano - but they were his family. And there was nowhere else he'd rather be than nestled safely in their arms.

* * *

**AN:**

**This chapter officially concludes The Green Girl Arc! I know last time's cliffhanger was pretty ominous so I hope I've delivered a satisfying resolution for your troubles. Sharper eyed readers may notice this chapter's word count is a little on the shorter end compared to the other releases, but I decided to end arc here with the tying up of some plot threads (and introduction of several more to replace them!). Without going into specifics, the next chapter should be a bit of a breather for all of you in need of a break from some of the gritter aspects of the arc.**

**As always, thank you all for your continued support! Lemme know what you thought of the chapter in a review.**


	8. The Mirror Darkly

Chapter 7.5 - The Mirror Darkly

* * *

It was a cold morning. the birds were chirping and some of them were really loud and annoying.

Suddenly Minato Sahashi woke up from a really bad dream. He could have sworn he was dead but lol it was just a dream, like I just said. He ran a hand through his long, dark brown hair with red tips at the end and tied it all up into a sick man-bun. Minato sleepily rubbed his handsome face, passing a hand over his perfect nose and his high cheekbones, and wiped the sand outta his stunning hazel brown eyes.

"Minato what are you doing?" Karasuba asked him. She was completely naked as usual and hugging him tightly around his chiseled torso. He of course was unaffected by her rockin bod or her nice tits, having full command of his own sexual arousal. Morning wood was never a problem for him because he could only have erections when he wanted to, avoiding the whole Awkward Boner problem that plagued other regular guys. It was just another perk of his modified half-Sekirei genetics he got from his Mom's experimentation on him when he was a kid.

"I think I just woke up from a bad dream where I was some kind of normalfag without my shredded abs, my rugged good looks, or my big dick."

Karasuba gasped aloud, rousing his other Sekirei.

"Oh my kami that's awful. I can't imagine any other reality in which you have neither shredded abs, rugged good looks, or your big dick."

"I know right?"

After some sleepy grumbling, the rest of his dozens-large flock began to cutely yawn, stretch, and begin their morning routines.

"Good morning, Minato!" They chorused in unison.

If he was a normalfag like the guy his nightmare portrayed him as, he might have popped an uncomfortably Awkward Boner for sure at the sight of all the naked girls in his custom-quadruple King-size (AN: cause he IS a king, duh l0l) mahogany paneled 4-poster bed. He beckoned an imperial-looking finger to his girls and they giggled like birds as they practically floated over to him for their morning kisses.

In order, he kissed Karasuba, Akitsu, Hibiki, Hikari, Kusano (he winged her and her body aged like 10 years so she's not a loli anymore and he wouldn't get in trouble with the authorities, not like he gave a fuck about it anyway), Miya, Homura, Kazehana, Tsukiumi, Matsu, Benitsubasa, Orihime, Hinata, my OC Jennifer Smith Shimazu-chan, his mom Takami, his sister Yukari, fem!Mutsu, fem!Shiina, Android 18, and Chun Li.

"Good morning girls" he said.

* * *

[timeskip]

Minato was downstairs reading his paper while Chun Li and his Mom gave him a massage.

"Hey why is Chun Li here again? I thought she's from a completely different fiction universe?" Minato asked no one in particular.

"Oh don't you remember, you baka? the author decided to put an OC in but he was too lazy to make someone up so he copypasted her into our universe at a whim" his mom answered after slapping him in the head hard enough to leave a concussion if he was a normal guy but he wasn't so he was fine.

he didn't konw why his mom and sister abused him so much in the nightmare to make him a wuss but he was happy he wasnt a wuss in real life.

"Hai! You are very baka this morning, Minato. Are you sure you didn't hit your head on something last night during our sex marathon orgy?" Chun Li asked.

"You know, I honestly don't remember, Chun Li. There were too many boobs in my face, that might have happened but I doubt it because my superior half-Sekirei genetics prevent me from taking most phyisical damage if I pass a d-20 armor check."

"Matsu thinks you are correct, Minato-tan."

"Shut up Matsu, you haven't even been official introduced yet."

"sorry"

"It's okay, gimme a kiss."

"okay."

"FORSOOTH! HOW DAREST THOU KISSETH MY HUSBANDO, THOU UGLY WENCH! YEA AND VERILY, THE SUN DOTH SHINE ON MY MOST FOUL MISFORTUNE THIS MORN OF ALL MORNS!"

"Seriously Tsukiumi, no one understands you when you put your particular archaic Japanese dialect through Google translate and it spits out Shakespearean English as if that was some great localizaiton effots." Minato face vaulted, crackign the floor with his face but definitely not cracking his face because of his superior half-Sekirei genetics.

"sorry"

* * *

Timeskip

Now the whole gang was sitting in their living room trying to decide what to do today.

"What do you guys wanna do?"

"let's kill stuff because i'm bloodthirsty and i haven't killed anyhting in a while." Karasuba suggested eagerly. "my 1 dimensional characterization demands it!"

"Uh, we'll add it to the list." minato sweatdropped. "Anything else?"

"Ah. Sex?" Akitsu suggested.

"Defiantly a possibility, I vote for that personally."

"Baka ecchi onii-san-sama-chan!" Yukari screamed as she grabbed Minato by the waist and put him into a German suplex. She climbed to the top of the stairs and did a flying frog splash onto his prone body, waited for him to pretend to stagger to his feet (AN: of course his superior Sekirei genetics made him feel no pain anyway so he had to act like it did), then RKO'ed him into the TV.

Minato peeled the glass shards out of his face as his superior Sekirei genetics instantly regenerated all of the damage to his HP.

"Waht was that for?"

"Your being really ecchi!" Yukari shouted.

"sorry"

"Any other suggestions," Minato continued unperturbed. "if not, I like the sex option"

"Matsu thinks we should finish the sekirei plan now and end this filler arc already. haven't we been in the same routine for like 5 chapters now?" Matsu said.

"True. Man this is really mendokuse (AN: troublesome)." Minato replied. "Okay let's go, we should probably go kick some ass."

"Hai!" His sekirei said.

* * *

Timeskip

Minato and his sekirei walked down the street to Higa's turf.

"Hey, Higa, you bitch. Come out so I can kick your ass and take your MacGuffin I mean Jinki."

"Okay." Higa said as he walked out of his limo, dressed in a white Versace suit and white Louboutins and black Versace tie (AN: Do Louboutins match with a Versace suit?"

"Where's your Sekirei, let's do this already" Minato asked.

"You fucked all my bitches, Minato." Higa wept uncoolly. "Remember when you drove over to my building and parked your car in my spot?"

"O yeah," Minato said as he groped Kochou's boob. "They were better off with me anyway."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT MY PENIS IS SMALLER THAN YOURS" Higa said.

"Yeah that's true, my superior Sekirei genetics are better than your human ones."

"what what the fuck haven't you been saying 'superior half-sekirei genetics' this entire time?" Higa facevaulted

"Yeah, so what? I decided to upgrade from the trial version to Windows 10 Pro edition, dumbass."

"Fuck."

Minato grabbed Higa by the head and threw him to the floor, then gave him the People's elbow to the face. It completely crushed his head and splattered brians everywhree.

"Aw man, Higa's brains are all over my elbow…" Minato chibifaced. "Now what?"

"that was SO HOT" Karasuba gushed as she jizzed in her pants. "let's have sex"

"good idea" minato said.

Then they proceeded to copulate wildly in the streets.

* * *

Timeskip

After quickly disposing all the other Ashikabi in the game, Only Minato was left against Minaka.

(AN: Song is Graduation (Friends Forever) - Vitamin C)

"As we go on

we remember

all the times we

spent together"

Minato sang with a heavenly voice gifted to him by the gods themselves and his superior full-Sekirei genetics.

"Why are you singing all of a sudden?" Minaka asked him.

"Just because."

"Oh."

"anyways," Minato said. "I'm here to kick your ass so i can live with my 108 Sekirei harem in peace already. Gimme the Jinki!"

"You'll have to pry these MacGuffins from my cold, dead hands." Minaka cackled like a madman. "Get them, my pretty!"

Natsuo stood there confused.

"I don't have any Sekirei left because Minato stole my bitches, and I only have the physical capabilities of an average human. I dont stand a chance against Minato's superior half-Sekirei genetics!"

Minato ran at him with godlike speed granted to him by 10000 hours of training and his superior Sekirei genetics. He kicked Natsuo up into the sky with a well-placed blow to the chin from below. He did a pretty dope martial arts judo combo while they were falling, punctuating each with a shout.

"SA! HA! SHI! MINATO COMBO!"

"GET HIM MINATO-KUN!"

"YEAH!"

"I'M SO MOIST BECAUSE OF ALL THIS ASS KICKING THAT MY 1 DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERIZATION SAYS I SHOULD BE SEXUALLY AROUSED BY"

After saying "combo," Minato kicked him into the ground where Natsuo promptly died, his normalfag body unable to handle the full force of Minato's enhanced Sekirei-like superior Sekirei genetics.

"I've got full superior Sekirei genetics, you flaming homosexual." Minato gloated.

"Fuck." Minaka said. "You've ruined my plans of seeing a marvelous game unfold."

"Gotcha, bitch. I run this game now." Minato said. "And after I kill you, I'm going to go have wild unprotected sex with my harem. INCLUDING my mom and sister cause why not?"

"SYKE!" Minaka said with a cackle, pressing a button on his hidden remote in the sleeve of his tailored white Hugo Boss suit jacket.

A bright light flashed and suddenly Minato fell to his knees, completely drained of his superior Sekirei genetics. No longer did he have a ruggedly handsome face, or shredded abs, or a big dick. He was decidedly average in every way all over again, as if no author had decided to self-insert into his character without explicitly saying so and completely supplant everything that made him Minato Sahashi.

"Arghhhh," Minato screamed. "I feel weak, I feel… normal! What have you done?"

"I can explain that," a new, spooky voice suddenly said.

"Mr Skeltal?!"

"Yes, it is I, Dr Skeltal." Mr Skeltal said. "I gave my old friend Minaka the tools he needed to defeat you because you scrolled past my picture on an online forum and never thanked me for the good bones and calcium I gave you."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Minato shouted in pain. "I thought that was a stupid meme with no basis outside of dank updoots and superstition!"

"Think again, bitch." Mr Skeltal said.

"That's right, Minato. I am your father." Minaka sneered.

"What the fuck, how? Mom never told me about that!"

"I knew it already, dude." Yukari screamed, punching her brother in the face and breaking his nose this time because he didn't have the superior Sekirei genetics (AN: or was it just the good bones and much calcium from Mr Skeltal this whole time? xD) anymore.

"What?"

"It was pretty obvious man, his name even sounds like yours."

"shit"

"Yeah, son." Takami said, rubbing her nipples at the sight of her son on his knees in utter pain. She was an incestuous sadist after all, why else would she abuse her son all these years? "My bad."

"What were you even thinking when you fucked him?! And twice?" Minato yelled in frustration and pain.

"I was a slut in college, oops."

"well shit." Minato said, facevaulting with his face like in the xD emoticon.

"This farce has gone on long enough," Minaka said suddenly. "Omai wa mou shindeiru" (AN: Your already dead)

"BAKANA (AN: Impossible)" Minato said before he exploded in a shower of blood.

* * *

Minato gasped aloud, bolting upright in utter terror. His heart pounded wildly with the sudden surge of adrenaline pumped into his veins from whatever he had just woken up from. He winced in pain, his body still very sore all over from his recent ordeal.

"Minato, what's wrong?" Karasuba asked, instantly awake with no trace of groggy sleepiness in her voice.

"Karasuba? I… think I had an awful dream. A nightmare, really." Minato replied, rubbing his temples gingerly.

To his great displeasure, a mild headache was beginning to form. Luckily Karasuba was the only one with him in the bedroom at the moment. She had chased all of his other Sekirei out, demanding they give him his space and insisting that she was enough to take care of his needs.

"What was it about?" She asked him.

"Well, it's hard to remember. You were in it, and the others too…"

"Uh huh…" Karasuba nodded, prodding for more details.

"You were very… err…" A random flash of the No. 04's very seductive body popped into his brain. "Never mind."

She raised a curious eyebrow. Most of the alarm from his sudden waking had faded by this point, replaced by a more relaxed ease that nothing had happened to her Ashikabi.

"You don't want to know."

* * *

**AN: **

**Happy belated Halloween! I was supposed to have gotten this little omake of sorts (as well as the actual Chapter 7) out well before this and in time for the holiday, but real life got in the way a bit. Nothing like a little harmless spooks and fun to take the edge off of the harder stuff. **


	9. The Convalescence

Chapter 8 - The Convalescence

* * *

If there was one thing Minato thought he would never get used to, it was living in a household full of beautiful women.

After his injuries during the rescue of Kusano, he was ordered by his Sekirei (on his mother's strongly worded prescription) to at least a week or two of bedrest under constant supervision. He protested of course, citing impropriety and a belief he could take care of himself. It only took one small, harmless slip in the shower for his personal space and privacy to be provisionally surrendered "for his own good." They may or may not have been right, considering he could still barely move without extreme pain and shortness of breath these days, but he would never admit it aloud for fear of encouraging them to coddle him further. Even so, he didn't think it was necessary for them to take rotating shifts on things like sleeping with him in case he woke up in pain or bathing him to prevent any more shower accidents.

It wasn't like he was complaining about the attention and pampering from young, beautiful women. Heavens no. He was a normal heterosexual male in his early twenties, damn it! If anything, the time he spent as a virtual hikikomori left him even more acutely aware of all the females in his life. He was simply unused to being the center of attention, least of all from a flock of women other than his mother and sister.

Minato was roused out of his musings by a light knocking on his door.

"Come in!" he called out.

Almost as soon as he said the words, Hikari burst into the room with a broad grin. She was followed closely by a very sheepish Hibiki who winced apologetically behind her twin.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!" Hikari exclaimed boisterously as she flopped into bed beside him, careful not to land directly on him. "Naptime is over, let's get our grub on!"

"Hikari!" Her twin scolded. "You could have landed on Minato!"

He ruffled Hikari's hair affectionately and chuckled as he slowly got out of bed. His good humor soured a little when the Twins scrambled to his side and helped lift him to his feet.

"I'm fine, you can stop coddling me like I'm some delicate baby now…" Minato said with more than a little exasperation.

"Can you touch your toes yet?" Hibiki asked in reply.

"I really don't see why that matters…"

"Answer the question, Minato. Can you touch your toes?"

"…"

Minato stood awkwardly with an embarrassed look on his face, knowing full well his body was still far too stiff and sore to do much other than shuffle around very slowly. He sighed and gingerly raised his arms a bit so the Twins could get a better grip and more easily help support his weight.

"That's what I thought," Hibiki said softly, more to herself than anything.

Hikari laid an impulsive peck on his cheek and squeezed his arm gently. He wasn't sure who blushed more between the two of them, but he could feel the heat radiating off both of their faces.

"There, there, Minato. You'll get better in no time!" She grinned widely, face bright with both her usual enthusiasm and her blush. "Now let's get something to eat already. I dunno about you, but I could eat a whale!"

As Hikari continued to chatter about her day and the crazy things she and Hibiki had read about lately, Minato's mood couldn't help but lift itself. It was probably harder for him to walk on his own than to stay grumpy around the Twins. Something about their exuberance and general outlook on the world was just that contagious. Of course, he couldn't help but notice the undercurrent of sadness and what he could swear was guilt run through the bond on occasion. They would never broach the subject themselves, so he could only assume it wasn't something they were quite ready to discuss yet.

The noise they made as they carefully came down the stairs did not go unnoticed. Just as Hikari was about to launch headlong into a discussion of the latest serialized chapter of her favorite manga, Minato noticed Karasuba look up at him from her spot on the couch. She paused in her sword polishing to smirk at the sight of her Ashikabi being assisted down the stairs.

"Glad you finally decided to join us," she teased.

She sheathed her blade and got up to meet him halfway. With a nod at the Twins, Karasuba swept him into her arms and took over the escort duties.

He yelped at the sudden, but gentle maneuver. His Sekirei all took turns assisting him in his convalescence, but Karasuba was simultaneously the most possessive and territorial of them all. She would often (to the great displeasure of whoever's turn it was) swoop in and abruptly take over what someone was assisting Minato with, whether that was bathe or eat. Personally he thought it was more than a little unfair to the rest of his Sekirei who only wanted to help out in their own ways, but neither he nor his other Sekirei could muster the courage to voice their displeasure.

"I really think this is quite unnecessary of you all to do this kind of thing." Minato grumbled as she carried him to the dinner table.

"Sure, sure," she replied dismissively, not even pausing in her step or looking at him when she said it. "But can you touch your toes yet?"

He couldn't help scowling with embarrassment. Why did everyone keep asking that? He didn't really think it was a very accurate benchmark for recovery, especially considering the fact that he could barely manage to touch them even when he was healthy!

Still, he was really in no position to object. It was his own recklessness, well-intentioned or not, that put him in this situation in the first place. Not that he regretted it in any way — if he were in the same situation again, he would do the same every time. His recovery was going smoothly and he figured he would be just fine (if not a little stiffer than usual) soon enough. He just wished his Sekirei wouldn't smother him so much, he had quite enough of that growing up!

"Ah, Minato-sama," Akitsu greeted as she came out of the kitchen. "Dinner just arrived."

She then gestured to the Twins, silently asking them to help her set the table. Hibiki and Hikari lightly squeezed his shoulders before heading into the kitchen proper.

His eyes turned to the large pile of boxes on the counter table, only now noticing the delicious scent of it all wafting into the air. As he expected, among them were containers with the logo of the curry restaurant his Sekirei found to be an acceptable replacement for his own. Several other logos of popular take-out restaurants dotted the other bags and containers. With only his own mental estimations of their cost, he could only sigh at the expense of it all.

With the best (read: only) cook in the house out of commission, there was no way to get food other than take-out. Sure, it had been a pleasant surprise to find out the Twins at least wouldn't burn water like the others, but the extent of their culinary ability was rather limited unless they all wanted to eat egg dishes and salads at every meal. When the only alternative was either Akitsu's attempts at curry and the unspeakable horrors of Karasuba's "cuisine," he had to just suck it up and accept it. Minato's sense of frugality wept at the wastefulness but Karasuba assured him the MBI Black Cards were more than capable of covering the costs. If only his Sekirei would just let him see the receipts!

"Onii-chan!" A small voice cried out just as he was seated.

A blonde ball of energy zipped around the corner and, with very careful deliberation, took a seat in his lap. Kusano had taken to the Sahashi household like a fish to water, and even Karasuba was hard pressed to keep from smiling around her. Oh she did her best to stay stern and stoic around the blonde bundle of sunshine but as soon as Kusano would ask her for favors, even the Black Sekirei was putty in her tiny hands.

"Onii-chan, today I played with Akitsu-nee and Hibiki-nee and Hikari-nee and we had lots of fun!" the Green Girl gushed exuberantly. "And then Karasuba-nee taught me how to do a cool trick! Wanna see?"

Minato was suddenly struck with the distinct sense of discomfort he began to associate with Very Bad Ideas. But as much as his instincts told him to politely decline until they were in a wide open area outside, he couldn't resist Kusano's sparkly-eyed look of eagerness. Only a heartless bastard would have said no to that face, and he certainly didn't want to be a heartless bastard.

He swallowed the danger signs in his gut and nodded his assent. Kusano giggled with delight and hopped off of his lap with just as much deliberate care as she showed to get on. The rest of his Sekirei paused in their dinner preparations to watch as well, their curiosity sparked.

The Green Girl's face scrunched up in adorable concentration, her hands held out in front of her. The table slowly began to shake, slowly at first but then faster and more violently as she focused more intently. A branch, small but steadily growing larger, sprouted from the wood of the tabletop.

Minato's eyes widened in surprise. He should have known little Kusano was capable of doing something like this, but she had told him her control over her Sekirei powers wasn't very good just yet. Obviously something had changed since that conversation and he had a feeling that something (or rather some_one_) was a certain silver-haired swordswoman standing beside him with a foxlike smirk on her face.

In the time it took him to come to that realization, the branch had elongated and flattened out, taking on a distinctly blade-like shape. Now that he thought about it, it definitely looked like a —

"Ta-dah!" Kusano beamed with delight, holding the object aloft in her small hands. "It's a bokken!"

He should have known.

Karasuba reached out and took the proffered wooden sword from the youngest Sekirei. With a practiced eye, she carefully inspected the craftsmanship. Tossing it from hand to hand, she finally passed it back and patted Kusano on the head with barely concealed pride in her eyes.

"Not too shabby, Squirt." She coughed into her hand and Minato could feel the slight embarrassment rolling into the bond from her. "The balance is still a little off and your speed could still use work, but all in all, not bad."

Kusano practically glowed with the praise and turned to Minato expectantly.

"Err, good job, Kusano!" Minato said somewhat awkwardly. "Your control has gotten a lot better since the last time you told me about it!"

He hadn't much experience dealing with younger girls (excluding his sister who liked to act like she was the older sibling) and dealing with the ones he had around his home now was more than enough of a handful to him already. That inexperience probably made him miss whatever cue Kusano was giving him because she looked a bit put out by his response. She puffed out her cheeks in an odd kind of pout and pointed intently at the top of her head.

'_Oh…'_

Albeit with a bit of hesitance, Minato got the hint and reached out to rub the top of her head lightly. It was what she had been looking for from the start, practically purring with delight as she smiled radiantly up at him.

"Now, let's eat, shall we?"

* * *

In all honesty, Akitsu was still uncertain how she felt about the recent new arrivals in the Sahashi household.

It wasn't as if she disliked the Lightning Twins or little Kusano. On the contrary, she rather liked the youngest Sekirei, and the vibrant energy both the Twins and the Green Girl (though hard to keep with at times) brought a new dynamic into the house that was missing before. But with any change came a resistance that preferred the previous status quo.

She didn't have as much time to spend with Minato-sama, even before it got so much busier. Karasuba laid an especially large claim to most of their Ashikabi's free time and had only just begun to loosen up and share more fairly before the incident in the Arboretum. His convalescence schedule had been an attempt by all 4 of his Sekirei (5 if she included the still unwinged Kusano) to share the responsibility and give each other the space they needed to come to terms with his near-death experience. To what degree that was considered successful differed greatly depending on who was asked.

It was fairly obvious Karasuba thought the whole thing was a resounding "mission accomplished," if not a little discontent at having been forced (as if any of the other Sekirei could truly make the Black Calamity do anything against her will) to share. The Twins and little Kusano had been more than happy to have any time at all with their Ashikabi, even if it was occasionally interrupted by the No 04. Only she, whether privately or otherwise, was not happy about the arrangement.

Was it wrong of her to want more time with Minato-sama? He was her entire universe, her sole reason for living. She existed to carry out his will and ensure his well-being. How could she bear to sit around idly while he suffered? Sure, she knew the others cared about him as well and would do their best for him, but she wanted to be there for him herself.

It was selfish, utterly so, but Akitsu didn't know how else to act yet. With Karasuba, she was the outsider coming into an established relationship dynamic. She could accept a subordinate position since it was only the two of them. The Twins and Kusano on the other hand were younger in every way: age, Number, and especially tenure in Minato's flock. Of course, she did have to wonder how Karasuba had been able to accept her own intrusion when she too had been in that position the first time around. Karasuba never struck her as the outgoing and sharing type in the slightest. In retrospect, it was almost a small miracle No. 09 had survived her own impromptu winging.

"Oi, what are you doing standing here in the middle of the kitchen by yourself? Looking for a snack too?"

Akitsu blinked dumbly at the sight of the very woman she was just thinking of standing right in front of her with a quizzical look on her face.

"Ah… I was just thinking."

Karasuba cocked her head, an odd look on her face. After a moment, she shrugged almost to herself. The No. 04 lightly grabbed her by the arms and physically lifted her up and out of the way of the refrigerator. It was an effortless gesture that spoke of her vast strength, but the gentle way she was set down was just as telling if not more so. It gave Akitsu the bit of courage she needed to seek advice for something that had been weighing heavily on her mind.

"Karasuba… Ah… Can I ask you a question?"

She didn't turn around from staring into the refrigerator, only putting her hands on her hips instead.

"You just did, but I'll allow another. What's up?"

"I…" Akitsu swallowed nervously. "How do you deal with… jealousy?"

Karasuba didn't say anything immediately. Grabbing two cans of iced tea, she closed the door with her foot and wordlessly handed one to the Ice Sekirei. Akitsu was more than a little taken aback but accepted the drink with murmured thanks. The silver-haired woman sipped at her own before leaning against the kitchen counter and facing Akitsu.

"Jealousy, huh? You should know me well enough by now to realize I'm the last person you should be asking. Minato's a lot better at this mushy stuff."

"I understand that." Akitsu was also more than aware of Karasuba's weakness in this regard but bravely pressed on. "But I also know you well enough by now to know you are not much of the… 'sharing type' either."

Karasuba raised her can in a mock toast and chuckled into her drink as she sipped.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was almost sarcasm from you."

"..." A small blush bloomed on the Ice Sekirei's cheek.

A wry grin settled over Karasuba's lips. She set the can down and folded her arms lightly under her breasts.

"Jealousy, huh? I'd say I don't really deal with it that well, to be honest."

Akitsu tilted her head in confusion. Seeing the look on the No. 07's face, Karasuba continued to elaborate.

"I don't like the idea of sharing Minato. He was mine first after all." She shook her head softly. "On a purely rational level, it only makes sense for him to have multiple Sekirei — he's clearly a very powerful Ashikabi and the more he wings, the stronger he gets. Then again, I've never been one for pure rationalism."

"So how do you put up with… _this_?" Akitsu asked again, gesturing with her hands to the entirety of their shared household. "With us?"

The Black Sekirei coughed awkwardly and scratched the back of her neck.

"Well… Somehow, having all of us around — you, me, the twins, even the little one now — makes him happy. If he were to lose any of us, I think it would break him. For that reason, I swallow my jealousy and try not to let it bring me down for his sake at least."

"Is it normal to feel this way? Possessive and jealous?"

"Anyone who claims otherwise is lying through their teeth." Karasuba pushed off the countertop and walked past Akitsu, patting her on the shoulder as she passed." It's what you do with those feelings that matter. Personally, I consider it a win whenever I keep myself from cutting your hands off for touching my man."

Akitsu paled a bit, not quite sure if she was joking or being truthful.

"At least sharing with you lot isn't quite as bad as I thought it would have been…"

Akitsu smiled, not without a fair amount of relief, at her words. It was somehow immensely reassuring to know her feelings were not abnormal. Dealing with it was another matter, but she figured she could do it. If Karasuba of all people could, what excuse did she have?

The Ice Sekirei felt an impulsive surge come over her all of a sudden. She ran behind Karasuba for a gentle back hug. The elder Sekirei stiffened with an initial shock but relaxed and patted the arms encircling her waist with a chuckle. The Ice Sekirei buried her face in her strong back. She giggled to herself when the familiar masculine scent of Minato's body wash wafted into her nose.

"Thank you," she said simply.

A sudden sniffle had Akitsu whirl about with shock, only to come face to face with a teary-eyed trio of the Twins and Kusano standing in the hallway.

"Ah… How long have you three been standing there?" she asked nervously.

"My guess is only long enough to catch the tail end of our little chat." Karasuba deadpanned.

"T-That was s-so nice of you, Karasuba…!" Hikari wiped her eyes with the long sleeve of her night shirt.

Her twin Hibiki agreed with an emphatic nod, pawing at her own eyes as well.

"Y-You really t-think we're not that b-b-bad…?"

Kusano on the other hand sobbed openly and dragged the Twins over in her tiny hands where she pushed all of the Sekirei together for a group hug. Akitsu and Karasuba suddenly found themselves at the center of a ball of emotional bonding.

"Kuu loves all of her nice onee-san!"

In the midst of it all, Akitsu's eyes met Karasuba's. The Black Sekirei looked a little exasperated if she was reading her correctly, but Karasuba only sighed with exaggerated weariness and returned the hugs.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let it get to your heads."

* * *

"_Gang activity has been on the rise in Tokyo and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has vowed to take increased measures to combat it. We now bring you live to the Commissioner's press conference on the issue."_

_..._

"_We will not tolerate bands of delinquent youth terrorizing our streets. We will crack down on this criminal activity and return Tokyo to a state of peace and security."_

"_Sir, who are these gangs anyway? Are they existing organizations or new offshoots?"_

"_Investigative and eyewitness reports indicate a mix of both. Organized crime elements already in the city have mostly grown in size and influence from their leaders becoming 'Ashikabi' of the Sekirei through 'winging,' sometimes multiple. Other groups have sprung up around splinter organizations who have otherwise acquired one or more of Sekirei or Ashikabi of their own."_

"_Does this rise in activity have anything to do with MBI's public announcement or the so-called 'Sekirei Game?'"_

"_I believe these gangs are simply taking advantage of the event sponsored by MBI to raise havoc and unrest. President Minaka has pledged full cooperation with the police in order to resolve the situation."_

"_The Sekirei Game was supposed to be just that — a game. This recent spike in gang activity is detrimental to both the integrity of the game as well as a threat to public safety, and that's not very fun at all! MBI pledges full support and cooperation with the police in providing our highly trained security forces to patrol the city and root out these criminals. _

_Also, after a few… hiccups in staffing issues, I am pleased to announce the reinstatement of the MBI Disciplinary Squad in its 4th Generation! This crack team of Sekirei and their Ashikabi handlers will ensure a spirit of fair play and renew the public's trust in our ability to keep the peace. I for one look forward to their immediate results!"_

…

"Immediate results? What a fuckin' joke!" Buzan guffawed, shutting off the television in front of him.

A chorus of echoing laughter followed suit as the room full of his subordinates took their boss's lead.

"The Buzan Group ain't afraid of shit, ain't that right, boys?"

The roar of approval shook the room as Buzan himself grinned wildly.

"With Ikki-jou-chan on our side, we're practically un-fuckin'-stoppable!" he reached over and planted a possessive kiss on the girl sitting on his lap.

The girl blushed from the attention but the devilish grin on her face showed her glee even as her wings burst from her back in a spray of light. Her hair was styled in a wild short bob, and she was dressed in a short white cheongsam-styled shirt with provocative slits cut daringly up the sides and a pair of tight black spandex shorts. A large number 19 was tattooed on the side of her left thigh. Two sheathed kodachi rested on her hip even as she sat in her Ashikabi's lap, an ever present symbol of her strength.

"First, we finish making the North our fuckin' turf. Then, we take over the whole goddamn rest of Tokyo! Nothing's gonna stand in our fuckin' way, boys!"

* * *

**AN: Apologies for falling off the face of the earth for a couple months. Life got in the way of my usual update sch****edule, and Google Drive somehow deleted most of my work on this chapter. Incredibly frustrating, especially since the whole point of me moving my work to the cloud was to prevent things like this from happening...**

**There were supposed to be a few thousand more words to this chapter but I just couldn't recreate it all from memory. I was kind of just sick of this particular breather chapter but the next one should hopefully get back to the usual length within a reasonable time-frame. The last scene in this chapter directly sets up the next arc of the story, my first try at completely original plotting. Hope you all like what's to come!**

**Also, I probably won't be able to personally reply to the wonderful comments or PMs I've gotten since the last review. For that, I am sincerely apologetic. Each and every one of them was definitely read, so not to worry! Please don't let a lack of reply discourage you from giving more feedback or making more reviews, I will try to get back on it for future messages and reviews from this point on!**

**PS: It would be nice if you all also read and reviewed my other story, Legacy of Uzushiogakure... k thx**


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